Analytical Chemistry Services

Analytical chemistry is a crucial requirement for almost any discovery or development project.

Our analytical chemistry services are tailored to the product classes we work on. These include small molecules, natural products, peptides, enzymes or other proteins.

We have extensive experience in developing stage-appropriate methods for the detection and quantification of a variety of analytes.

Our equipment

In-house, we operate High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) systems equipped with various detectors. These include UV/Vis, Refractive index (RID), and Evaporative light scattering (ELSD).

Additional instruments and expertise span Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS, including MSⁿ Orbitrap systems for fragmentation studies), SDS-PAGE, and spectrophotometric UV-Vis plate readers with absorbance and fluorescence capabilities.

We also carry out other techniques through our local network, including  Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR [high field and 2D]), High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS), X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC).

Isomerase is a trusted partner when it comes to screening enzyme libraries. For example, we are well-equipped to handle large quantities of samples, with access to 96-well format HPLC systems. As a result, Isomerase often supports high-throughput screening (HTS) campaigns, which are common within partner work packages. With low dwell volume systems and small-diameter Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) columns, we can quickly generate data for you.

Example work packages containing analytical chemistry

• Analyte detection. Isomerase develops early methods confirming the presence or absence of analytes in complex mixtures.
• Analyte quantification. We generate calibration curves and validate methods to offer accurate and robust quantification. These methods are the starting point for assay and purity analysis when we transfer manufacturing to a GMP CDMO.
• Identification, separation, and quantification of related substances. As products proceed through development, we can adapt the methods further to identify and separate related substances or other contaminants. From this, we ensure a successful tech transfer to a CDMO and guarantee an innate understanding of the process before commercialization.
• Development of bespoke assays. For example, measuring the activity of an enzyme.
• Chemical property analysis. Isomerase offers solubility or stability studies in a variety of matrices.

A work package may look as follows:

• Isomerase screens an enzyme library for the best converters in a biocatalytic reaction.
• Next, we scale up the hits to milligram/gram scale in collaboration with our bioprocess team.
• We then isolate the analyte from the biocatalytic reaction mixture. Typically, this is done via a tailored extraction protocol and subsequent preparative or flash chromatography separation.
• Following lyophilization of the selected fraction, the team elucidates the structure and fully characterizes the isolated compound. Isomerase utilizes HRMS, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and 2D NMR techniques such as HSQC-ME (Heteronuclear single quantum coherance with multiplicity editing) and COSY (Homonuclear correlation spectroscopy) to facilitate complete peak assignment.