Judging from the titles of the invited lectures, HPLC 2013 in Hobart will feature reports that are a “must attend” for chromatographers in particular and analytical chemists in general. Some examples:
- ''Chromatography as a Tool for Designing Better Plastic Materials for New Applications,” to be presented by Prof. Wolfgang Buchberger of Johannes-Kepler-University (Linz, Austria), promises to reveal cutting-edge approaches to novel materials.
- "The Role of Separation Science in the Development of Personalized Medicine” will be addressed by Dr. William Hancock (Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern University, Boston, MA). Personalized medicine is coming rapidly, with new treatment paradigms evolving based on data-driven science.
- Chris Pohl of Thermo Fisher Scientific will describe “Recent Developments in Ion Exchange Materials for HPLC and Ion Chromatography.” I anticipate this lecture will reveal new column packings with novel selectivity designed to solve current analytical problems.
- Several sessions will address current issues in translational medicine, including metabolomics. Prof. Guownag Xu of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (China) will lecture on comprehensive analysis of trace metabolites. Earlier lectures by Prof. Xu this year have shown several novel and practical protocols that solve current problems.
- Lectures by Prof. Brett Paull (Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia) traditionally describe thoughtful solutions to frustrating chromatography problems. This year, Brett’s lecture is entitled, “Comprehensive Pharmaceutical Product Analysis Using Mixed Mode Liquid Chromatography.” Mixed mode is showing promise in rapid assays for complex therapeutic formulations.
The formal name for HPLC 2013, Hobart is “The 40th International Symposium on High Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques.” Thus, capillary electrophoresis and field flow fractionation are included in the program.
Despite the importance of lipids in living organisms, analysis of lipids has been the forgotten child of life science research. Lack of suitable analytical technology probably contributes to the neglect.
Prof. Myeong Hee Moon of Yonsei University (Seoul, South Korea) will present “Flow Field-Flow Fractionation for Proteomics and Lipidomics Research.” This should be of particular interest to researchers developing lipid and micelle technology.
Although many would consider HPLC to be a mature technology, it is continuing to evolve. The complexity of HPLC makes it a challenging topic, even for the experienced practitioner. HPLC as a topic, and hence HPLC 2013, is an excellent example of the high value of what you can learn after you think you know it all. See you there.
HPLC 2013 In Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, is scheduled for November 18–21, 2013. Please visit http://www.hplc2013-hobart.org for further information.
Also see https://www.americanlaboratory.com/Blog/135960-HPLC-2013-Hobart/.
Robert L. Stevenson, Ph.D., is a Consultant and Editor of Separation Science for American Laboratory/Labcompare; e-mail: [email protected].