ISC 2026 - Day 2

<h4><strong>What if you could compress 179 days of grueling laboratory workflow into just 14 hours?</strong></h4><p><strong>In this episode of ‪ChromatographyTalk‬, ‪Organomation‬ General Manager David Oliva sits down with analytical chemist Laura Penabad to discuss her groundbreaking new research in biocatalysis and high-throughput screening. Evolving engineered enzymes typically requires checking thousands of variants—a massive bottleneck when traditional Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) runs take minutes per sample. Laura reveals how her team built a modular screening platform that shatters this limitation, running samples 128 times faster than standard methods without sacrificing analytical accuracy.</strong></p><p>Laura breaks down the "orchestra" of technologies making this possible, including coupling nanoliter droplet microfluidics with Cyclic Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry (cIM-MS) to separate complex chemical isomers in milliseconds. She also shares the chaotic but triumphant behind-the-scenes stories of her PhD journey—from presenting a "comically bad" early poster at ASMS to recruiting an undergraduate mechanical engineer to build custom automation software from scratch.</p><p>If you are an early-career researcher, a mass spec enthusiast, or curious about the future of synthetic biology and machine learning in chemistry, this episode is packed with invaluable intuition and advice.</p><h3><strong>Video Transcription</strong></h3><h4><strong>From Months to Hours: Droplet Ion Mobility–MS for Biocatalysis Screening</strong></h4><p><strong>High-throughput screening is central to directed enzyme evolution, but conventional analytical workflows can create a difficult compromise: extremely fast screens often provide limited structural information, while techniques such as LC-MS offer much richer chemical insight at the cost of throughput. In a recent interview, analytical chemist Laura described how her work with droplet-based cyclic ion mobility mass spectrometry is helping bridge that gap—providing rapid analysis while retaining the ability to distinguish structurally similar products.</strong></p><p>Her research grew from an initially modest proof of concept into a screening platform capable of analyzing a 96-well plate in roughly ten minutes. The resulting workflow was approximately <strong>128 times faster than a conventional three-minute LC-MS analysis</strong>, opening new possibilities for directed evolution campaigns in which thousands of enzyme variants need to be evaluated.</p><h4>Directed evolution needs better analytical screening</h4><p>Biocatalysis takes advantage of enzymes as highly selective catalysts capable of performing reactions under relatively mild conditions. Directed evolution extends those capabilities by deliberately modifying enzyme sequences, expressing large numbers of variants, screening their activity, and using the best-performing mutants as starting points for subsequent rounds of evolution.</p><p>The process can be repeated multiple times, progressively steering an enzyme toward improved activity, altered substrate specificity, or even chemistry that does not occur naturally.</p><p>But the effectiveness of directed evolution depends heavily on the screening step. The more variants that can be analyzed—and the more useful chemical information that can be collected for each one—the more effectively researchers can explore the enormous sequence space available to an enzyme.</p><p>For Laura, this created a clear analytical challenge: develop a screening platform that was substantially faster than conventional chromatographic analysis without sacrificing the structural discrimination needed for chemically similar products.</p><h4><strong>From an imperfect first experiment to a working platform</strong></h4><p>The project did not begin with a polished high-throughput workflow.</p><p>Laura recalled looking back at her <strong>2023 ASMS poster</strong>, where the early system was still working with standards rather than true isomeric samples. Droplet introduction was slow—around six seconds per droplet—and the signals were far from the ideal reproducible, square, flat-topped profiles expected from replicate droplets.</p><p>Nevertheless, simply producing a droplet signal represented an important first milestone.</p><p>The decisive change came when the project stopped being treated merely as a demonstration that droplet ion mobility–MS could work and instead became a deliberate effort to build a <strong>robust screening platform</strong>.</p><p>Laura approached the problem in modules. First came reliable droplet introduction. Then the ion mobility separation method. Quantification became another independent component. Matrix effects were introduced later, gradually making the system resemble the conditions expected with real screening samples.</p><p>Each layer was tested before another was added.</p><p>This stepwise strategy became one of the central principles of the project: rather than attempting to optimize the entire system simultaneously, individual components were developed, challenged, and then assembled into an increasingly realistic workflow.</p><h4><strong>Finding the middle ground between speed and structural information</strong></h4><p>One of the biggest analytical problems in high-throughput screening is distinguishing products with the same nominal or exact mass.</p><p>Constitutional isomers may contain the same atoms and therefore generate the same mass-to-charge ratio, while differing only in how functional groups are arranged within the molecular structure. Very rapid optical or mass-based screens may therefore struggle to distinguish them.</p><p>Traditional LC-MS can solve many of these problems through chromatographic separation, but a several-minute analysis rapidly becomes impractical when thousands of enzyme variants must be screened.</p><p>Ion mobility offered Laura’s team another option.</p><p>Rather than separating compounds on a chromatographic timescale, ion mobility can differentiate ions according to their gas-phase behavior on a much shorter timescale. In the workflow described in the interview, this created a useful compromise: not the kilohertz throughput possible with some simple screening technologies, but dramatically faster structural differentiation than conventional LC-MS.</p><p>The goal was therefore not simply to achieve the fastest possible screen, but to find a <strong>middle-throughput analytical regime with enough resolving power to answer chemically meaningful questions</strong>.</p><h4><strong>A 96-well plate in about ten minutes</strong></h4><p>That strategy eventually produced one of the most striking results of the project.</p><p>The droplet cyclic ion mobility–MS platform processed a <strong>96-well plate in roughly ten minutes</strong>, while maintaining quantitative results comparable with the conventional LC-MS workflow used for comparison. According to the interview, this represented an approximately <strong>128-fold increase in analysis speed relative to a three-minute LC-MS run</strong>.</p><p>Laura described the successful plate experiment less as a surprise than as confirmation that the modular development strategy had worked.</p><p>Before reaching that point, the workflow had already been challenged through a sequence of increasingly demanding experiments: droplet formation, ion mobility separation, calibration, matrix-containing calibration, and cross-testing analytes at different concentrations. By the time the complete plate was analyzed, each individual part of the analytical system had already been tested under progressively more realistic conditions.</p><h4><strong>What does that speed mean for directed evolution?</strong></h4><p>The impact becomes even clearer when the workflow is considered at the scale of an entire directed-evolution campaign.</p><p>Laura’s manuscript estimated that a <strong>five-round campaign involving 5,000 variants would require approximately 179 days using the conventional LC-MS workflow but only about 14 hours using the new platform</strong>.</p><p>Compressing months of analytical work into less than a day has consequences beyond laboratory productivity.</p><p>It allows researchers to screen more enzyme variants and therefore sample a larger portion of sequence space. But the resulting datasets may also become increasingly valuable for computational approaches.</p><p>Rather than retaining information only about the best-performing enzyme variant, researchers can preserve data describing variants that performed poorly as well as those that succeeded. When genotype and phenotype information remain linked through the well-plate workflow, these larger datasets can potentially provide richer input for machine-learning models designed to guide subsequent rounds of enzyme evolution.</p><p>Faster analysis therefore does more than accelerate an existing experiment—it can change the scale and design of the experiment itself.</p><h4><strong>Balancing ion mobility resolution and signal</strong></h4><p>Increasing cyclic ion mobility separation time can improve resolution, but it also introduces an important trade-off: additional passes can reduce signal.</p><p>Laura optimized this balance experimentally by continuously infusing mixtures containing both isomers and progressively adjusting the ion mobility conditions. After tuning parameters such as wave height and velocity, increasing the separation to <strong>three passes</strong> provided baseline resolution at the high analyte concentrations used during method development.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Concentration, however, also mattered.</strong></p></blockquote><p>At higher ion populations, space-charge effects could broaden peaks and reduce the baseline separation. This meant that the optimal number of passes could not be selected independently of the concentration range required by the final assay.</p><p>Her broader advice for optimization is therefore application-driven: decide first what the analytical method actually needs to accomplish.</p><p>More speed will almost always require sacrificing something—resolution, signal intensity, quantitative precision, or another performance parameter. The key is to identify which compromise the application can tolerate and then optimize the system around that requirement.</p><h4><strong>Solving droplet carryover with a practical compromise</strong></h4><p>Droplet-based workflows present their own engineering challenges, including carryover between neighboring samples.</p><p>In Laura’s system, analytes showed little tendency to partition into the fluorinated oil separating aqueous droplets within the Teflon tubing. The more troublesome carryover occurred closer to electrospray ionization, where a small amount of sample could remain associated with the interface and appear when the next droplet arrived.</p><p>Rather than adding excessive engineering complexity to an already elaborate platform, the researchers adopted a pragmatic solution: a <strong>sacrificial wash droplet</strong> between analytical samples.</p><p>It is an example of a recurring theme throughout the project. The objective was not to construct the theoretically most sophisticated droplet system, but to create a screening workflow that remained sufficiently robust, reproducible, and practical for large numbers of samples.</p><h4><strong>High-throughput analysis also requires high-throughput data processing</strong></h4><p>Accelerating the mass spectrometry experiment created another bottleneck: the data.</p><p>The instrument produced a continuous intensity-versus-time trace rather than a neatly organized well-plate dataset. With small experiments, Laura could manually identify individual droplets and process the results in spreadsheets. That approach quickly became unrealistic as sample numbers increased.</p><p>The solution emerged through collaboration with an undergraduate mentee, Aiden, who helped develop a dedicated software tool for processing the continuous traces.</p><p>Laura defined how the software should behave and how the analytical information should be organized, while Aiden developed the computational implementation. The workflow itself was subsequently adjusted to make automated data processing more reliable—for example, by introducing marker columns that allowed the software to recognize the end of each plate row.</p><p>The resulting tool can accept the acquired traces together with information about plate dimensions and replicates and automatically return parameters including <strong>peak identity, duration, and the corresponding well position</strong>. A later version also generated an automatically populated heat map.</p><p>The experience illustrates how improving analytical throughput often requires simultaneous development of instrumentation, experimental design, and informatics. Making the measurement faster is useful only if the resulting data can be processed at a comparable speed.</p><h4><strong>Mentoring became part of the scientific process</strong></h4><p>The software project also reflects another theme Laura emphasized throughout the interview: the value of mentoring.</p><p>Several younger researchers contributed directly to the development of the final platform. Laura described mentees not simply as additional hands in the laboratory but as scientists capable of proposing their own hypotheses and experimental ideas.</p><p>Working with undergraduate researchers also influenced the way she organized experiments.</p><p>Because their available laboratory time was limited, each task needed to have a clear purpose. That encouraged a more disciplined approach to experimental planning: instead of performing experiments simply because they could be done, the team had to ask which experiment would most efficiently answer the next important question.</p><p>In that sense, mentoring became another mechanism for improving the research itself.</p><h4><strong>The next step: continuous, automated screening</strong></h4><p>Despite the dramatic increase in analytical speed, the current workflow still includes manual operations such as loading tubing and connecting the sample stream to the mass spectrometer.</p><p>The next engineering challenge is therefore automation.</p><p>Laura described ongoing work using the <strong>Venturi effect</strong> to pull samples directly from wells into the droplet system. Building on previous work in the laboratory with 96-well plates, she has already tested this approach with as many as <strong>2,000 samples</strong>.</p><p>The long-term direction is clear: continuous and robust droplet generation, automated handling of thousands of samples, rapid ion mobility separation, mass spectrometric detection, and automated reconstruction of the resulting data into plate-based outputs.</p><p>Combining those elements could move the system closer to the type of large-scale screening required for increasingly ambitious biocatalysis campaigns.</p><h4><strong>Learning mass spectrometry one problem at a time</strong></h4><p>Laura also reflected on the broader experience of developing the platform during her PhD.</p><p>Ion mobility and mass spectrometry initially appeared intimidating, particularly because they combine concepts from analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, separations, instrumentation, and electrical engineering. What eventually changed was not simply learning more facts, but developing the ability to move repeatedly between theory and experiment.</p><p>An unexpected result sends the researcher back to the underlying theory. A better understanding suggests a modified experiment. That experiment creates another observation, gradually building intuition about how the system behaves.</p><p>Her advice to early-career scientists is therefore to accept that this process takes time.</p><p>Advanced analytical techniques may initially appear overwhelming, but understanding develops incrementally through repeated interaction between theory, experimentation, failure, and refinement. Equally important, she emphasized the role of the supportive ion mobility–mass spectrometry community in making a technically demanding field more approachable for young researchers.</p><p>From the first inconsistent droplets to a platform capable of processing thousands of samples, that iterative mindset ultimately shaped the entire project.</p><blockquote><p><strong>This text has been automatically transcribed from a video presentation using AI technology. It may contain inaccuracies and is not guaranteed to be 100% correct.</strong></p></blockquote><blockquote><h4><strong>Concentrating on Chromatography Podcast</strong></h4><p>Dive into the frontiers of chromatography, mass spectrometry, and sample preparation with host David Oliva. Each episode features candid conversations with leading researchers, industry innovators, and passionate scientists who are shaping the future of analytical chemistry. From decoding PFAS detection challenges to exploring the latest in AI-assisted liquid chromatography, this show uncovers practical workflows, sustainability breakthroughs, and the real-world impact of separation science. Whether you’re a chromatographer, lab professional, or researcher you'll discover inspiring content!</p><p>You can find <strong>Concentrating on Chromatography Podcast </strong>in podcast apps:</p><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1wZg67rCjoGju4yhqxI3tL"><strong>Spotify</strong></a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/tz/podcast/concentrating-on-chromatography/id1788429185"><strong>Apple podcast</strong></a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podscan.fm/podcasts/concentrating-on-chromatography"><strong>podscan</strong></a></li></ul><p>and on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/@ChromatographyTalk/videos"><strong>YouTube channel</strong></a></p></blockquote>

Droplet Cyclic Ion Mobility Mass Spec: Compressing Months of Enzyme Screening Into Just 14 Hours

ISC 2026 - Day 3

Article

Events

Video

Scientists

Interview

The International Symposium on Chromatography (ISC) represents the oldest conference series focussing on separation science. ISC symposia have been organised since 1956 in each even year. ISC is internationally recognised as one of the premier meeting series for discussion of all modes of chromatography and separation science with a broad coverage of techniques and applications.

International Symposium on Chromatography - (ISC)

Organomation, founded in 1959, designs and manufactures high-quality nitrogen evaporators and extraction systems. Known for innovation and durability, their lab instruments are used globally for efficient sample preparation with strong customer support.

Organomation

Waters ACQUITY APC Columns

Waters ACQUITY Advanced Polymer Chromatography (APC) Columns with novel capabilities for chromatographic efficiency, speed and resolution that cannot be matched by conventional GPC methods.

<h4><strong>ACQUITY APC AQ BEH Column</strong></h4><p>ACQUITY APC AQ columns are designed to provide highly efficient size-based separations for water soluble polymer characterization. The sorbent uses patented Ethylene Bridge Hybrid (BEH) technology to provide a mechanical strong packed bed that resists shinking and swelling for easy mobile phase solvent switching. The expected molecular weight range for this column is approximatley 1, 000 - 30, 000 g/mole.</p><h4><strong>Specifications</strong></h4><ul><li><strong>Separation Mode:</strong> SEC/GPC</li><li><strong>Particle Substrate: </strong>Hybrid</li><li><strong>pH Range Min:</strong> 1 pH</li><li><strong>pH Range Max: </strong>8 pH</li><li><strong>Endcapped: </strong>No</li><li><strong>Silanol Activity: </strong>Medium</li><li><strong>Molecular Weight Range Min:</strong> 1000</li><li><strong>Molecular Weight Range Max:</strong> 30000</li><li><strong>Particle Shape: </strong>Spherical</li><li><strong>Particle Size:</strong> 1,7 µm &nbsp;/ 2.5 µm&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Endfitting Type: </strong>Parker-style</li><li><strong>System:</strong> APC</li><li><strong>Particle Technology:</strong> BEH</li><li><strong>Technique: </strong>SEC</li></ul><h4><strong>ACQUITY APC XT BEH Column</strong></h4><p>ACQUITY APC XT columns are optimized to provide highly efficient size-based separations for organic solvent soluble polymer characterization. The sorbent uses patented Ethylene Bridge Hybrid (BEH) technology to provide a mechanical strong packed bed that resists shinking and swelling for easy mobile phase solvent switching.The expected molecular weight range for this column is approximatley 1,000 - 30,000 g/mole.</p><h4><strong>Specifications</strong></h4><ul><li><strong>Separation Mode:</strong> SEC/GPC</li><li><strong>Particle Substrate: </strong>Hybrid</li><li><strong>pH Range Min:</strong> 1 pH</li><li><strong>pH Range Max: </strong>12 pH</li><li><strong>Endcapped: </strong>No</li><li><strong>Silanol Activity: </strong>Low</li><li><strong>Molecular Weight Range Min:</strong> 1000</li><li><strong>Molecular Weight Range Max:</strong> 30000</li><li><strong>Particle Shape: </strong>Spherical</li><li><strong>Particle Size:</strong> 1,7 µm &nbsp;/ 2.5 µm&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Endfitting Type: </strong>Parker-style</li><li><strong>System:</strong> APC</li><li><strong>Particle Technology:</strong> BEH</li><li><strong>Technique: </strong>GPC</li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_ACQUITY_APC_AQ_BEH_Column_0c0d837b73.jpeg" alt="Waters: ACQUITY APC Column" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_ACQUITY_APC_AQ_BEH_Column_0c0d837b73.jpeg 234w," sizes="100vw" width="660" height="440"></p><h3><strong>ACQUITY APC Columns</strong></h3><h4><strong>Achieve superior speed and resolution for polymer characterization</strong></h4><p>Achieving superior performance and reliability with high resolution polymer characterization can be a challenge. <strong>ACQUITY Advanced Polymer Chromatography (APC) Columns</strong> are designed for polymer scientists like you, with novel capabilities for chromatographic efficiency, speed and resolution that cannot be matched by conventional GPC methods. With these columns, you can quantify and characterize polymer samples with confidence and accuracy while maximizing productivity.</p><p>The <strong>Ethylene Bridged Hybrid (BEH) particles</strong> used in ACQUITY APC Columns enable rapid solvent switching and the ability to use multiple conditions for the same bank of columns. Conventional polymeric stationary phases are dedicated to a single set of analytical conditions and solvent because the chromatographic bed is vulnerable to shrinking and swelling. By eliminating this undesirable behavior, ACQUITY APC Columns allow for maximum robustness and method development flexibility.</p><h4><strong>Overview</strong></h4><ul><li>Eliminate the shrinking and swelling that often occurs with polymeric stationary phases upon solvent switching with a stable chromatographic column bed&nbsp;</li><li>Achieve unmatched separation speed, resolution, and chromatographic efficiency from optimized pore volumes and particle size</li><li>Meet workflow requirements with 1.7 and 2.5 μm columns for organic and aqueous size-based separation</li><li>Achieve industry-leading column-to-column reproducibility with exceptionally reliable columns from a tightly controlled column manufacturing process</li><li><strong>Recommended Use: </strong>For rapid and accurate chromatographic characterization of synthetic polymer and macromolecular species.&nbsp;</li></ul><h4><strong>ACQUITY APC Column Featured Technologies</strong></h4><h5><strong>BEH Technology</strong></h5><ul><li>Rugged hybrid organic/inorganic base particle</li><li>Improved peak shape for bases- low silanol activity</li><li>Wider operating pH range for method development flexibility</li><li>Mechanical strength for maximum column efficiency at UHPLC operating pressures</li></ul><h4><strong>ACQUITY APC Column Characteristics</strong></h4><h5><strong>ACQUITY APC XT Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>Designed to provide high efficiency sized-based separations for organic soluble polymer characterization</li><li>Uses BEH particle technology</li><li>Stable column bed that resists shrinking and swelling for easy mobile-phase solvent switching</li><li>Features an extended temperature range up to 90 °C</li><li>Designed for organic solvent-based separations</li></ul><h5><strong>ACQUITY APC AQ Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>Designed to provide high efficiency sized-based separations for water soluble polymer characterization</li><li>Uses BEH particle technology</li><li>Robust separations up to 45 °C</li><li>Designed for aqueous-soluble polymer separations</li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_ACQUITY_APC_Columns_2268ceb5f5.jpeg" alt="Waters: ACQUITY APC Columns" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_ACQUITY_APC_Columns_2268ceb5f5.jpeg 234w," sizes="100vw" width="1024" height="682"></p><h4><strong>Unprecedented capacity for rapid solvent switching</strong></h4><p>Use multiple conditions for the same column bank with rapid solvent switching using the rigid hybrid particles in ACQUITY APC Chromatography Columns. Conventional polymeric phases are often dedicated to single analysis conditions because the chromatographic bed is vulnerable to shrinking and swelling that can be potentially harmful to the column. By eliminating this constraint, ACQUITY APC Chromatography Columns provide more freedom for method development and deliver advanced polymer characterization for a diverse range of samples.</p><h4><strong>Reduce calibration time by a factor of 3-5x and increase resolution</strong></h4><p>With long conventional Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) run times of up to one hour or more, analyses of standards and samples can be quite time-consuming. In addition to long GPC run times, the large extra-column volume of conventional GPC systems can result in peak bandspreading, reducing the resolution and thus accuracy of the calibration points. Combined with the lower dispersion ACQUITY APC System, small particle ACQUITY APC Columns deliver less bandspreading and narrower, sharper peaks compared to the conventional GPC system. Additionally, robust sub-3-µm APC Column Technology supports higher flow rate and backpressures, thereby improving resolution.</p><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_A_comparison_of_run_times_and_resolution_for_polystyrene_standards_Mp_100_K_10_K_and_1_K_on_a_conventional_GPC_system_and_the_ACQUITY_APC_System_37cfb15ed5.jpeg" alt="Waters: A comparison of run times and resolution for polystyrene standards (Mp: 100K, 10K, and 1K) on a conventional GPC system and the ACQUITY APC System. " srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_A_comparison_of_run_times_and_resolution_for_polystyrene_standards_Mp_100_K_10_K_and_1_K_on_a_conventional_GPC_system_and_the_ACQUITY_APC_System_37cfb15ed5.jpeg 234w," sizes="100vw" width="1024" height="682"></p><h4><strong>Ensure reproducible column performance</strong></h4><p>Reproducible column performance is one of the most critical factors for achieving long-term method reliability during polymer characterization. Each step of our column manufacturing process is monitored and tightly controlled to maintain unmatched product reproducibility. Every test, from raw material characterization to final batch analysis, is designed to ensure that ACQUITY APC Columns perform the same from column-to-column, batch-to-batch, and year-to-year.</p>

Waters SEC Columns

Get unmatched batch-to-batch reproducibility with the wide range of Waters Size-Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) Columns and standards for protein and peptide characterization.

<h4><strong>Size-based separations of peptides, proteins, nucleic acids, LNPs, and viral vectors</strong></h4><p>Get unmatched batch-to-batch reproducibility with the wide range of <strong>Waters Size-Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) Columns</strong> and standards for protein and peptide characterization.</p><p><strong>SEC</strong> is a powerful technique for aggregate and fragment analysis in the <strong>research, development</strong>, and <strong>manufacturing of biotherapeutic proteins</strong>, such as <strong>insulin</strong> and <strong>monoclonal antibodies</strong> (mAb). With SEC, also known as gel filtration, you can separate proteins based on their size (hydrodynamic radii versus absolute molecular weight) in solution, with larger sized species eluting before smaller proteins.</p><p>The <strong>pore size and volume</strong> of the SEC particles used in the packed column drives this <strong>isocratic based technique</strong>, so the column you choose matters. As the molecular weight of the proteins of interest increases, SEC columns with comparatively larger pore size particles are selected.</p><h4><strong>Overview</strong></h4><ul><li>Gain efficiency with this “platform based” method for <strong>proteins ranging from 10,000 to 650,000 Daltons</strong>, leveraging <strong>MaxPeak Premier Technology</strong> coupled with <strong>BEH-PEO Particle Technology&nbsp;</strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Minimize non-desired secondary interactions </strong>for improved separation reproducibility and results with Ethylene Bridged Hybrid (BEH) SEC particles</li><li>Ensure reliable <strong>column-to-column and batch-to-batch performance</strong> with columns quality control tested with relevant peptide, protein, and mAb samples &nbsp;</li><li>Achieve reliable <strong>high throughput analysis on UPLC</strong> systems with our <strong>1.7 µm particle size</strong> offering and reproducible separations on any <strong>HPLC, UHPLC, or UPLC system</strong> to address different application needs with <strong>2.5 µm&nbsp;</strong></li><li><strong>Extend analytical column life</strong> and<strong> lower cost per analyses </strong>with SEC Guards&nbsp;</li><li>Confirm on-site SEC column and LC system performance with available BEH125, BEH200, BEH450, and mAb Size Variant Standards &nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Manufactured in a cGMP, ISO 9001</strong> certified plant using stringent manufacturing protocols and ultra-pure reagents</li></ul><p><strong>Recommended Use: </strong>For size-based peptide, protein, and viral vector analyses.</p><h4><strong>System Dispersion Specifications for Column Recommendations</strong></h4><h5><strong>LC System Dispersions &lt;20 µL (UPLC)</strong></h5><ul><li>ACQUITY Premier Protein SEC 250 Å Guards and Columns</li><li>ACQUITY UPLC Protein BEH SEC 125 Å, 200 Å, and 450 Å Guards and Columns</li><li>1.7 µm guards and columns for low dispersion UPLC systems</li></ul><h5><strong>LC System Dispersions &gt;20 µL – ≤35 µL (UHPLC)</strong></h5><ul><li>XBridge Premier Protein SEC 250 Å Guards and Columns</li><li>XBridge Protein BEH SEC 125 Å, 200 Å, and 450 Å Guards and Columns</li><li>BioResolve mAb SEC Guards and Columns</li><li>2.5 µm guards and columns for UHPLC systems</li></ul><h5><strong>LC System Dispersions &gt;35 µL (HPLC)</strong></h5><ul><li>XBridge Protein BEH SEC 125 Å, 200 Å, and 450 Å Guards and Columns</li><li>XBridge Premier Protein SEC 250 Å Guards and Columns</li><li>BioResolve mAb SEC Guards and Columns</li><li>BioSuite SEC Guards and Columns</li><li>3.5 µm guards and columns for HPLC systems</li></ul><h4><strong>GTxResolve SEC Columns</strong></h4><h5><strong>GTxResolve Premier BEH SEC 450 Å Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>2.5 µm particle size columns for UHPLC and UPLC separations</li><li>Lower secondary interactions and lower noise suitable for platform methods</li><li>Low adsorption hardware necessary for analysis of biologics samples</li><li>450 Å pore size with up to 50% higher resolving power reducing need for sample consumption, resulting in faster analyses<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.waters.com/nextgen/us/en/products/columns/GTxResolve-sec-columns.html"><strong>Explore GTxResolve SEC Columns</strong></a></li></ul></li></ul><h5><strong>GTxResolve Premier SEC 1000 Å Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>3 µm columns for UHPLC and UPLC separations</li><li>1000 Å columns with high efficiency for aggregate analysis of GTx drugs with diameter of 80-200 nm</li><li>Low secondary interaction &amp; improved compatibility with universally applied detector, such as MALS</li><li>Low adsorption hardware necessary for analysis of biologics samples<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.waters.com/nextgen/us/en/products/columns/GTxResolve-sec-columns.html"><strong>Explore GTxResolve SEC Columns</strong></a></li></ul></li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_G_Tx_Resolve_SEC_Columns_1b8741a62b.jpg" alt="Waters: GTxResolve SEC Columns" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_G_Tx_Resolve_SEC_Columns_1b8741a62b.jpg 234w," sizes="100vw" width="1024" height="682"></p><h4><strong>Protein SEC Columns</strong></h4><h5><strong>ACQUITY Premier Protein SEC 250 Å Guards and Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>Sub-2-μm particle columns for UPLC separations</li><li>250 Å pore size</li><li>High throughput &amp; resolution SEC separations of biomolecules ranging from 10,000 to 650,000 Daltons on low dispersion UPLC Systems</li><li>Available SEC Guard Columns to extend analytical SEC Column life</li><li>Significantly reduce non-desired ionic and hydrophobic secondary interaction for desired SEC platform methods with MaxPeak Premier Technology and BEH-PEO SEC particle technology<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.waters.com/nextgen/us/en/products/columns/acquity-premier-columns.html"><strong>Explore ACQUITY Premier Protein BEH SEC Guards and Columns</strong></a></li></ul></li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_ACQUITY_Premier_Columns_featuring_Max_Peak_HPS_Technology_11a541350e.jpg" alt="Waters: ACQUITY Premier Columns featuring MaxPeak HPS Technology" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_ACQUITY_Premier_Columns_featuring_Max_Peak_HPS_Technology_11a541350e.jpg 234w," sizes="100vw" width="1024" height="682"></p><h5><strong>XBridge Premier Protein SEC 250 Å Guards and Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>2.5 μm particle columns for HPLC and UHPLC separations</li><li>250 Å pore size</li><li>High resolution SEC separations of biomolecules ranging from 10,000 to 650,000 Daltons on any LC system</li><li>Available SEC Guard Columns to extend analytical SEC Column life</li><li>Significantly reduce non-desired ionic and hydrophobic secondary interaction for desired SEC platform methods with MaxPeak Premier Technology and BEH-PEO SEC particle technology</li><li>Specifically designed and QC tested with NIST-based, mAb Size Variant Standard to help ensure batch-to-batch consistency<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.waters.com/waters/global/Waters-XBridge-Premier-Columns/nav.htm"><strong>Explore XBridge Premier Protein BEH SEC Columns</strong></a></li></ul></li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_X_Bridge_Premier_Columns_0230c90278.jpg" alt="Waters: XBridge Premier Columns" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_X_Bridge_Premier_Columns_0230c90278.jpg 193w," sizes="100vw" width="950" height="768"></p><h5><strong>BioResolve mAb SEC Guards and Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>2.5 μm particle columns for UPLC, UHPLC, and HPLC separations</li><li>200 Å pore size</li><li>Obtain reproducible, accurate quantitation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), associated high molecular weight aggregates (&gt;300,000 Da), and lower molecular weight fragments (e.g., &lt;100,000 Da)</li><li>Each packed column is tested with NIST-based, mAb size variant standard to help ensure batch-to-batch and column-to-column performance consistency<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.waters.com/waters/global/BioResolve-SEC-mAb-Consumables-%7C-SEC-Guards/nav.htm"><strong>Explore BioResolve mAb SEC Guards and Columns</strong></a></li></ul></li></ul><h5><strong>ACQUITY UPLC Protein BEH SEC Guards and Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>Sub-2-μm particle columns for UPLC separations (2.5 μm for 450 Å)</li><li>Pore size options include: 125 Å, 200 Å, and 450 Å</li><li>Available SEC Guard Columns to extend analytical SEC Column life</li><li>Specifically designed and QC tested with BEH125, BEH200, or BEH450 protein standards to help ensure batch-to-batch consistency</li><li>10x faster than traditional HPLC-based SEC<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.waters.com/nextgen/us/en/products/columns/acquity-uplc-columns.html"><strong>Explore ACQUITY UPLC Protein BEH SEC Guards and Columns</strong></a></li></ul></li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_Acquity_UPLC_kolony_1dc5c25d3e/Waters-Acquity-UPLC-kolony.jpg" alt="Waters: Acquity UPLC columns" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_Acquity_UPLC_kolony_1dc5c25d3e/thumbnail_Waters-Acquity-UPLC-kolony.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="807" height="407"></p><h5><strong>XBridge Protein BEH SEC Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>2.5 μm particle columns for use on any UPLC, UHPLC, or HPLC system</li><li>Pore size options include: 125 Å, 200 Å, and 450 Å</li><li>Available SEC Guard Columns to extend analytical SEC Column life</li><li>Specifically designed and QC tested with BEH125, BEH200, or BEH450 protein standards to help ensure batch-to-batch consistency<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.waters.com/waters/global/XBridge-BEH-Columns-for-High-pH-Chromatography/nav.htm"><strong>Explore XBridge Protein BEH SEC Columns</strong></a></li></ul></li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_X_Bridge_Columns_b0b55de501/Waters-XBridge-Columns.jpg" alt="Waters: XBridge Columns" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_X_Bridge_Columns_b0b55de501/thumbnail_Waters-XBridge-Columns.jpg 203w," sizes="100vw" width="900" height="691"></p><h4><strong>Peptide SEC Columns</strong></h4><h5><strong>BioSuite SEC Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>Silica-based diol SEC columns</li><li>Molecular weight exclusion limits are determined primarily by the selected pore size</li><li>Available in analytical and semi-preparative column sizes<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.waters.com/waters/global/BioSuite-Columns/nav.htm"><strong>Explore BioSuite SEC Columns</strong></a></li></ul></li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_Bio_Suite_Columns_bf2bb8249f.jpg" alt="Waters: BioSuite Columns" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_Bio_Suite_Columns_bf2bb8249f.jpg 184w," sizes="100vw" width="307" height="260"></p><h5><strong>Protein-Pak SEC Columns</strong></h5><ul><li>Based on a 10 μm diol-bonded silica</li><li>Resolve proteins that differ in molecular weight by a factor of two</li><li>Distinguish proteins differing by as little as 15% in molecular weight<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.waters.com/waters/global/Protein-Pak-HPLC-and-UPLC-Columns/nav.htm"><strong>Explore Protein-Pak SEC Columns</strong></a></li></ul></li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_Protein_Pak_Columns_be6a669326.jpg" alt="Waters: Protein-Pak Columns" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_Protein_Pak_Columns_be6a669326.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="500" height="315"></p><h4><strong>Choose the right SEC Column for your lab</strong></h4><p>SEC is ideal for aggregate and fragment analysis in the research, development, and manufacturing of biotherapeutic peptides, proteins, and viral vectors, but choosing the right column for your analysis is important. Use the following criteria to choose a column that provides reliable, high quality SEC analyses of various biomolecules, including insulin, monoclonal antibodies, and adeno associated viruses (AAVs).</p><h5><strong>What to consider when choosing an SEC Column:</strong></h5><ul><li>What is the molecular weight of your sample?</li><li>What is the dispersion of your LC system?</li><li>Are you separating components &lt;2 fold difference in molecular weight (MW)?</li><li>Are you separating components &gt;2 fold difference in MW?</li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_Choose_the_right_Size_exclusion_chromatography_SEC_column_for_your_analysis_with_Waters_SEC_columns_selection_guide_b81f674f65.jpg" alt="Waters: Choose the right Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) column for your analysis with Waters SEC columns selection guide." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_Choose_the_right_Size_exclusion_chromatography_SEC_column_for_your_analysis_with_Waters_SEC_columns_selection_guide_b81f674f65.jpg 158w," sizes="100vw" width="1024" height="1013"></p><h4><strong>Addressing the complexity of SEC Separations</strong></h4><p>Experience the advancements in SEC-based technologies to address non-desired specific ionic and hydrophobic interactions for more reliable results with ACQUITY Premier Protein SEC and XBridge Premier Protein SEC Columns and Guards.</p><h5><strong>With MaxPeak Premier SEC Columns, you can:</strong></h5><ul><li>Reproducibly resolve injected sample components that are less than 2x different in size for challenging applications</li><li>Use a ‘platform SEC method’ to reduce method development time and cost</li><li>Ensure batch-to-batch and column-to-column performance</li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Waters_Classes_of_therapeutic_proteins_separated_on_an_ACQUITY_Premier_Protein_SEC_Column_d3f74a8ea4.jpg" alt="Waters: Classes of therapeutic proteins separated on an ACQUITY Premier Protein SEC Column." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Waters_Classes_of_therapeutic_proteins_separated_on_an_ACQUITY_Premier_Protein_SEC_Column_d3f74a8ea4.jpg 234w," sizes="100vw" width="1024" height="682"></p>

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