The technique could save researchers money while achieving reliable results
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists have recently developed a purification technique to improve chromatography results without having to invest in expensive purification materials.
“By far the most widely used chromatography purification process relies on silica gel; however, silica fails when purifying extremely polar organic compounds, commonly used in APIs,” said research scientist Dr Travis Menard. “Other purification materials exist but are substantially more expensive. We think we’ve found a reliable and inexpensive alternative.”
By adding calcium chloride during normal-phase chromatography of highly polar compounds, the research team achieved purification results comparable to those obtained using expensive equipment.
The technique applies to organic compounds such as amines, amine salts and peptides.
Although Blumberg and his team developed the technique over several years, the 2025 IR&D enabled researchers to evaluate and optimise the technique with a range of APIs currently under development at SwRI.
“Our preliminary results show ion-assisted chromatography may also apply to the purification of peptides. That would be a significant breakthrough,” said Menard.
Additional research is needed to evaluate the technique for a growing number of pharmaceuticals made with peptides, such as semaglutide or GLP-1.
Menard will present at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) 2025 PharmSCi 360, which takes place 9th – 12th November in San Antonio, Texas.
