Qualification of CE instrumentation

For the pharmaceutical scientist, understanding the theory and application of the equipment is usually not sufficient there is the matter of compliance. The qualification of CE is similar to that of other instruments. Installation qualification (IQ), operational qualification (OQ), and performance qualification (PQ) apply in much the same way as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPEC). This chapter details the different parts of the modern CE instrument, equipment-related issues and troubleshooting, instrument qualification, and the future of the CE instrument. 

Design qualification (DQ) is the process used to determine a system that will function within the intended purpose. It can be compared to a user s requirements document for a piece of software. For example, if a CE is being purchased to run DNA sequencing samples, then the system purchased will need to include a fluorescence detector. The main vendors for CEs have similar options for their CE instruments reducing the utility of DQ protocols. Their main utility is to define the specific equipment needed for the purchase order. This only needs to be performed before the system is purchased initially. If desired, this can also be done when additional features need to be purchased (i.e., new detectors, etc.). 

Apart from the qualification dossiers provided by vendors there seems, at present, to be very little information published on the performance of an operational qualification for capillary electrophoresis (CE) instruments other than a chapter in Analytical Method Validation and Instrument Performance. The chapter, written by Nichole E. Baryla of Eli Lilly Canada, Inc, discusses the various functions (injection, separation, and detection) within the instrument and provides guidance on the type of tests, including suggested acceptance criteria, that may be performed to ensure the correct working of the instrument. These include injection reproducibility and linearity, temperature and voltage stability, detector accuracy, linearity, and noise. 

To this end the following guideline describes a general approach toward risk management for a laboratory instrument and then applies it to the performance of the operational qualification of a CE instrument. Tests then need to be devised in order to determine the suitability of the instrument for its intended use and to fulfill those user requirements that have been defined by the operator. 

Although industrial laboratories shied away from the technique at first, CE is now becoming more common in these labs for a variety of analyses, including ion analysis, chiral pharmaceutical analysis, and peptide mapping [1]. With the increased prevalence of CE in industrial analytical laboratories comes the need for instrument qualification to ensure the proper functioning and performance of the instrument in order to obtain consistent, reliable, and accurate data. 

Performing an operational qualification procedure ensures that the specific parts of an instrument are functioning according to defined specifications for precision, linearity, and accuracy. For operational qualification, testing individual instrument parameters and comparing them to accepted values requires isolating each parameter. Each parameter is related to a specific CE function. Typical CE functions that are subjected to qualification and their associated parameters are shown in Figure 12.2. 

The frequency of operational qualification of a CE instrument depends on factors such as the manufacturer s recommended OQ interval, the required instrument performance, and the instrument s use. Note that preventive maintenance procedures such as lamp replacement may require repeating the qualification of the particular CE function [3]. The following sections describe the tests to perform and their associated limits that are intended to qualify a CE instrument for its general purpose. Troubleshooting tips for instruments that do not perform to the intended specifications are presented in Section 12.4. 

The Instrumental Criteria Sub-committee of the Analytical Methods Committee has been active for many years in producing Guidelines for the Evaluation of Analytical Instrumentation. Since 1984, they have produced reports on atomic absorption, ICP, X-ray spectrometers, GLC, HPLC, ICP-MS, molecular fluorescence, UV-Vis-NIR, IR and CE. These are excellent source documents to facilitate the equipment qualification process. A current listing of these publications is given in Section 10.2. 

This chapter deals with the validation of capillary electrophoresis (CE) methods. It describes the various validation characteristics, namely accuracy, precision, specificity, detection limit, quantitation limit, linearity, and range in accordance with the official guidelines. Practical aspects related to the calculation of these parameters and factors affecting them in CE analysis have also been described. Validation requirements have been described according to the goal of the method. The chapter contains numerous tables and diagrams to illustrate these ideas. It also covers other related aspects such as instrument qualification, revalidation, and method transfer. 

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