Find out how the pharmaceutical benefits of chromatography affect all of us. If you take medications, they may have been developed using HPLC.
Over the years, drug manufacturing has advanced in many ways. Scientists have started using chromatography to develop and analyze medications and vaccines, including the latest COVID-19 vaccines. Though you’ve probably never heard of it, this advanced method of chemistry is used across many industries. The pharmaceutical benefits of chromatography reach every corner of healthcare and will stay with us for years to come.
Chromatography for Separation
Multiple types of chromatography can be used for pharmaceutical research, but the most common application is high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC can be used to clarify the structure of cells, proteins, and other organisms when testing samples. One downside to chromatography is that it involves expensive lab equipment with many parts and pieces, such as HPLC piston seals that must be changed during routine maintenance.
Chromatography for Quantification
HPLC is a superior method for determining if there are impurities in a substance. The pharmaceutical benefits of chromatography are that this method is excellent at helping scientists purify their drugs. Obviously, it is important that medications and vaccinations are clear of toxins and other substances that do not belong. Using HPLC, scientists not only sort compounds, but they find the number of impurities in them.
Chromatography for Identification
The next step after separating compounds and detecting impurities is to identify them. With HPLC, scientists can identify any toxins that were found in a drug during testing or development. In the past decade, scientists have started combining methods of chemistry to produce parallel results. Mass spectrometry is another analytics tool that is often used alongside chromatography. The technique produces different types of results about what is being analyzed, giving you more precise and clarifying information.
What scientists do does not typically make big news unless it is affecting your daily life. While you reap the pharmaceutical benefits of chromatography daily, this little-known lifesaver doesn’t catch a lot of buzz. Rest assured that experts want your medications to be safe because it means their medications are safe too.