Recent Advances in Chromatographic Approaches in Characterizing Antibody-Drug Conjugates

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent a rapidly growing class of biotherapeutics that combine the specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the cytotoxic potency of small molecule drugs. Comprehensive characterization of ADCs is critical for ensuring product quality, efficacy, and safety, requiring advanced analytical techniques capable of resolving their inherent structural complexity and heterogeneity.

This webinar presents state-of-the-art liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) approaches for ADC characterization. The first half focuses on recent advances in reversed-phase LC-MS analysis, highlighting improvements in separation efficiency and detection sensitivity. Application examples will demonstrate the determination of low concentration impurities and variants, the effects of mobile phase and mobile phase modifiers on chromatographic performance, and the performance gains to the method by utilizing unique column geometries (1.5 mm I.D.).

The second half explores native ADC analysis by hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC). Modern HIC stationary phases, combined with targeted mobile‑phase engineering, demonstrate high‑resolution, reproducible DAR separations across multiple ADC modalities, including improved resolution of high‑DAR and low‑abundance species. This state-of-the-art stationary phase was used to develop an HIC workflow using ammonium tartrate to achieve ammonium‑sulfate‑like performance and enabling rapid, MS‑compatible, and PAT‑ready ADC characterization.

Attendees will gain practical insights into selecting appropriate LC-MS methodologies for their ADC characterization needs and understanding the complementary nature of reversed-phase and hydrophobic interaction chromatography.

During this webinar, you will:

• Discover the latest advancements in reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for the effective characterization of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), focusing on improved separation efficiency and detection sensitivity.
• Learn about practical applications of LC-MS in identifying low concentration impurities and variants, including the impact of mobile phase components on chromatographic performance.
• Explore innovative techniques in hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) for native ADC analysis, emphasizing high-resolution and reproducible drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) separations.
• Gain an understanding about the development of a streamlined HIC workflow utilizing ammonium tartrate, which enhances ADC characterization efficiency while maintaining compatibility with mass spectrometry and process analytical technology (PAT).

Presenter: Andrea Krumm (Product Manager, Analytical Columns, Tosoh Bioscience GmbH)

Andrea Krumm studied biotechnology before gaining a PhD in Cell and Cancer Biology. After four years as an applications specialist for optical analytical devices used in academic and pharmaceutical research, she joined Tosoh Bioscience GmbH in 2020 as a product manager for analytical columns. Andrea is responsible for gathering customer requirements, application areas and addressing these with new and existing products of the analytical columns line.

Presenter: Cory E. Muraco (Senior Global Product Manager, Large Molecule HPLC, MilliporeSigma, the life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany)

Cory E. Muraco is the Senior Global Product Manager for Large Molecule HPLC Columns at MilliporeSigma, the life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. After finishing his graduate studies at Youngstown State University (Youngstown, Ohio, USA), Cory started his career at MilliporeSigma in 2013. After holding several roles in both R&D and Marketing functions across the past decade, in 2026, Cory assumed his current role as the Large Molecule HPLC Columns Product Manager where he is tasked with designing, developing, and executing the marketing and R&D strategies around MilliporeSigma’s biomolecule HPLC columns. Cory is the author of several manuscripts appearing in trade magazines and has delivered over 100 presentations at international conferences, round table symposia, and at various pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies.