Pharmaceutical Technology Europe - May 2010 - (Page 11)

Sample analysis: automation is crucial Downsizing of samples has always driven the market for sample analysis and so too has the desire to extract the maximum amount of information from each sample, often using multiple platforms. In recent years, demand for routine analysis of samples smaller than 100 µl has increased and although the technology that meets this need is more complex, it will become standard over the next few years. Today, chromatography is still the largest sample preparation and analysis technique in use — liquid chromatography (LC) and conjugated techniques, such as LC-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and gas chromatography-MS (GC-MS). pharmaceutical companies to outsource work to India or China. Productivity in these relatively expensive Western laboratories has to be a key driver. Analysing more samples more quickly and extracting the most data in one pass has become the goal; automation has a major role to play in this. I think it’s interesting that the recent merger of two of the world’s leading scientific membership organizations, ALA (Laboratory Automation Section) and SBS (Biomolecular Sciences Section), has recognised that large scale sample analysis can only feasibly be conducted with high levels of automation in the laboratory. Automated microwave digestion, automated solvent evaporation in 96-well plates and on-line SPE linked directly to HPLC/MS are just some of the evolving techniques for speeding up sample preparation and recovery. For example, integration of microplate evaporators with 96-well SPE sample clean up on a Tecan robot has been used to fully automate the preparation and testing of single neo-natal blood samples for up to 32 genetic disorder markers in Amsterdam’s largest public hospital. With the increasing sophistication of laboratory robotics and the integration of a wide range of sample preparation, clean up and detection technologies with these robots, a very high level of automation, with minimal operator involvement, can be achieved. Applying the techniques of workflow analysis to the modern laboratory, it is frequently possible to automate the flow of samples from initial receipt (or generation) to final data analysis and sample disposal (or storage), with the consequent overhead savings this implies. Over the next decade, I think we will see more and more non-destructive analysis that allows the same precious sample to be re-analysed by different techniques. This will not be easy of course, but it could be a major force driving the development of new measurement techniques, such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis. PTE Automated versus manual methods Time is money and we need to acknowledge the current trend of European and American Based on a contribution by Stephen Knight, Sales and Marketing Manager at Porvair. www.porvair.com 1 CONTENTS 5 NIR CHEMICAL IMAGING 2 BIOANALYSIS 6 PARTICLE SIZE ANALYSIS 3 POWDER BEHAVIOUR 10 SAMPLE PREPARATION 4 DISSOLUTION TESTING 12 TOP TECHNOLOGIES http://www.porvair.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Technology Europe - May 2010

Table of Contents

Pharmaceutical Technology Europe - May 2010

Bioanalysis: Hurdles and Hopes
Understanding Power Behaviour
Innovations in Dissolution Testing
When Should the Pharmaceutical Industry Use NIR Chemical Imaging?
Predicting New Promise in Particle Size Analysis
LC-MS Today and Tomorrow
New Possibilities for X-Ray Analysis
Industry Must Improve Sample Preparation Techniques
Sample Analysis: Automation is Crucial
Thirteen Latest Technologies Showcased

Pharmaceutical Technology Europe - May 2010