How to save time and gain confidence in complex excipient analysis with universal LC detection

When (bio)pharma formulation components have little or no UV response, HPLC methods can take longer to develop and optimize, become harder to transfer, and leave uncertainty around critical results. The right universal LC detector can help reduce method development effort, improve detection confidence, and support more robust routine workflows.
Using one of the most challenging formulation excipients to characterize as a concrete example, we will walk you through how to analyze Polysorbate 80 using Thermo Scientific™ Vanquish™ Charged Aerosol Detector (CAD) and compare with results generated by ELSD. Additional case studies from lipid nanoparticle sample testing will show how the two detectors compare in practice, explain key differences in parameter settings, and offer practical advice on how to evolve your methods from ELSD to CAD.
Join us for a practical guide to evaluate a more robust path for detecting challenging analytes in your formulation.
Who should attend:
- HPLC users who rely on ELSD but struggle with time-consuming optimization, sensitivity limits, noisy baselines, reproducibility, or transfer of methods into QC
- Analytical development, QC, and formulation teams working with complex (bio)pharma excipients, polysorbates, lipid nanoparticle formulations, related lipids, impurities, degradants, or other analytes with little or no UV response.
Attendees will gain practical strategies to:
- Improve detection confidence for low-abundance, non-chromophoric analytes
- Build more robust, transferable HPLC methods for development and QC workflows
- Reduce method transfer risk by understanding which detector settings affect ELSD-to-CAD performance
Register now to gain practical guidance for improving confidence in universal HPLC detection.
Presenter: Chris John, PhD (Research Scientist, Thermo Fisher Scientific)
Chris John received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Michigan State University in 2019. He then joined PPD’s Biopharmaceuticals Method Development team where he led the development and validation of HPLC methods for quantifying excipients, impurities, and APIs in biopharmaceutical products. Chris later transferred to PPD’s Cell and Gene Therapy group as an HPLC subject matter expert where he continues to lead method development and validation activities.
Presenter: Adam Punke (Sr. Research Scientist, Thermo Fisher Scientific)
Adam Punke has 15+ years of experience conducting HPLC/UPLC analyses in a GMP Environment. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology at the University of Wisconsin, he joined PPD’s inhalation department and performed testing to support stability studies of dry powder inhaled (DPI) products.
In 2011, Adam transitioned to PPD’s Biopharmaceuticals group to lead stability testing associated with a protein-based DPI. In 2015 Adam earned his master’s degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina.
He is currently an HPLC subject matter expert in the method development and validation team in the PPD Gene and Cell Therapy department where he oversees method development/validation projects and provides internal support to troubleshoot chromatographic issues.
