LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY AS A RESEARCH TOOL

Contributions to the biotechnology industry Commercialization of human insulin Interferon isolation Gene synthesis Protein analysis Peptide isolation Peptide mapping Amino-acid sequencing Total amino-acid composition Summary of LC benefits to biotechnology Contributions to environment research. / Air quality v Water quality 

Distinguishing between good and bad plastics The concept of molecular weight and molecular-weight distribution Using GPC to determine molecular weight An aid to organic synthesis 

HPLC is an indispensable tool in the laboratory Therapeutic drug monitoring Monitoring of asthma treatment Management of epilepsy treatment A qualitative analysis tool J Testing incoming raw materials 

Testing for product integrity Determining probable causes Summary References Acknowledgment 

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY Commercialization of Human Insulin 

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Preparative and process-scale liquid chromatography have gained considerable importance over the past two decades, not only as a research and development tool, but as a viable alternative to more traditional purification techniques in the production environment. 

Electrospray mass spectrometry has developed into a well-established method of wide scope and potential over the past 15 years. The softness of electrospray ionization has made this technique an indispensable tool for biochemical and biomedical research. Electrospray ionization has revolutionized the analysis of labile biopolymers, with applications ranging from the analysis of DNA, RNA, oligonucleotides, proteins as well as glycoproteins to carbohydrates, lipids, gly-colipids, and lipopolysaccharides, often in combination with state-of-the-art separation techniques like liquid chromatography or capillary electrophoresis [1,2]. Beyond mere analytical applications, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESMS) has proven to be a powerful tool for collision-induced dissociation (CID) and multiple-stage mass spectrometric (MSn) analysis, and - beyond the elucidation of primary structures - even for the study of noncovalent macromolecular complexes [3]. 

Recent advances in mass spectrometry have rendered it an attractive and versatile tool in industrial and academic research laboratories. As a part of this rapid growth, a considerable body of hterature has been devoted to the apph-cation of mass spectrometry in clinical studies. In concert with separation techniques such as hquid chromatography, mass spectrometry allows the rapid characterization and quantitative determination of a large array of molecules in complex mixtures. Herein, we present an overview of the above techniques accompanied with several examples of the use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in pharmacokinetics/drug metabohsm assessment during drug development. 

We are witnessing a continuous and natural evolution of biological systems, and in a similar manner, our tools, methods and approaches evolve as well. It took almost a century for liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to reach the performance level that we are enjoying today. In comparison, microfluidics is a relatively new area of research that evolved into analytical instrumentation only during the past 15-20 years. Miniaturization is clearly the very next step that will follow in instrument development and will have to be assimilated in our techniques and practices.6 8 Why will this have to happen Because only miniaturization will enable the reliable handling of trace sample amounts and the implementation of innovative operational principles that are not feasible in the macroscale setting. 

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