Direct Comparison and Transferability of HPLC Methods and Results

TESTA Analytical reports how its FlowChrom real-time flow monitoring system enables direct comparison and transferability of HPLC Methods and results between instruments in different locations.

It is not uncommon for organizations to have multiple HPLC systems performing the same separation protocol in several labs across larger sites or distributed worldwide. Particularly in industries such as pharma, food and agriculture - labs must comply with regulated laboratory data quality standards set by guidelines like Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) and international standards such as ISO/IEC 17025.

The challenge for corporations is to ensure that methods, and therefore results obtained, are comparable across sites. Transferability of analytical methods is therefore a must. One strategy is to equip all labs with the same HPLC/UHPLC systems, assuming this will help achieve the said goal. Experience has shown though that even identical HPLC systems, running standard separation protocols, tend to deliver slightly different results, often inexplicably.

Equipping all your HPLC systems running standard separation protocols with an automated non-invasive flow monitoring system, such as FlowChrom, is the only true solution. Using measured flow data instead of assuming the set flow is reproduced identically by each instrument, is the only safe tool to reveal hidden differences in operation of even identical HPLC systems. This elegant and affordable real-time flow monitoring solution has been proven to allow analytical labs to pinpoint and correct flaws and thereby achieve robust lab to lab interoperability and transferability of HPLC methods and results.