Analytical Chemistry Solutions

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

Our analytical chemistry capabilities are aligned with the product classes we work on, such as: 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.

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).

Example work packages

• Analyte detection. Isomerase develops early methods confirming the binary presence of analytes in complex mixtures.
• Analyte quantification. We generate calibration curves and validate methods to offer robust quantification of the analytes. These methods serve as the starting point for assay and purity analysis when transitioning manufacturing to a GMP CDMO.
• Identification, separation, and quantification of related substances. As a product proceeds towards development, we can adapt the methods further to identify and separate related substances or other contaminants. This ensures a successful tech transfer to a CDMO and guarantees an innate understanding of the process before commercialisation.
• Development of bespoke assays. For example, measuring the activity of an enzyme.
• Chemical property analysis. We offer solubility or stability studies in a variety of matrices.

For example, 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 via preparative or flash chromatography.
• The team elucidates the structure and fully characterises the isolated compound. This is done by 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 allow for complete peak assignment.