Columns (LC)
Waters Corporation has introduced 1 mm internal diameter liquid chromatography columns with MaxPeak Premier Technology to enhance analytical sensitivity, reduce solvent consumption and improve recovery for complex biomolecules in high-throughput pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical laboratories
Waters Corporation has launched 1 mm internal diameter liquid chromatography (LC) columns that incorporate the firm’s MaxPeak Premier Technology across its ACQUITY, BioResolve and GTxResolve brands. The company stated that the microflow columns have improved analytical sensitivity while reducing solvent consumption and sample waste. This is an important consideration in bioanalysis, pharmaceutical discovery and development, and in metabolomics, proteomics and lipidomics, where sample volumes are often limited and under short timelines.
In high-throughput pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical laboratories, analysts must detect trace-level compounds within complex biological matrices. Sensitivity, reproducibility and analyte recovery therefore remain central performance criteria requirements. By reducing the internal diameter to 1 mm and applying a proprietary surface treatment, Waters has sought to address limitations associated with conventional stainless steel column hardware.
The company stated that the launch formed part of an ongoing programme of chemistry-focused innovation, intended to extend performance in the separation of larger and more complex molecules. Peptides and oligonucleotides, for example, can interact with exposed metal surfaces inside traditional columns. Such interactions may reduce recovery and compromise quantitative accuracy, particularly at low concentrations.
“Waters continues to invest in advancing breakthrough technologies to remove common obstacles for our customers in high-throughput pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical laboratories, accelerate and simplify the development of life-changing therapies,” said Rob Carpio, senior vice president of Waters Analytical Sciences.
“We know that in disciplines such as cell and gene therapy and personalised cancer medicines, sample availability is limited and analyte recovery is critical.
“Today, we are proud to introduce our microflow LC columns with MaxPeak Premier Technology that protect these precious assets, while they raise the bar on sensitivity, data quality and reproducibility,” he added.
The 1 mm columns apply the company’s MaxPeak High Performance Surface Technology to a microflow format. This modification is designed to minimise nonspecific adsorption, the unintended interaction between analytes and metal surfaces. Nonspecific adsorption can result in analyte loss, distorted peak shapes and reduced quantitative accuracy. By limiting such interactions, the columns have improved recovery for small molecules, peptides and oligonucleotides, including compounds that present analytical challenges.
Dr. Oliver Fiehn, Professor at the University of California, Davis, USA, stated that his team matched or exceeded analytical sensitivity requirements after they switched from 2.1 mm internal diameter stainless steel columns to MaxPeak Premier Technology columns. He added that access to the technology in a 1 mm microflow format would enable solvent savings while it delivered reproducible and accurate results in high-throughput metabolomics workflows.
According to the Waters, laboratories that transition from 2.1 mm analytical-scale columns to the 1 mm format can achieve equivalent or improved sensitivity while they use one quarter of the solvent and sample volume. Reduced solvent use may lower operating costs and support environmental targets.
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