The land of chocolate, beer, fries, waffles ... and fantastic separation science!!!
With KNAUER and the seniors of the Application lab; Yannick Krauke, Ulrike Krop, Juliane Kramer
The 54th edition of the prestigious symposium series “HPLC” took place in Bruges, Belgium, just recently in June. We were amazed not only by the beautiful city and its wonderful architecture, but also by the fantastic scientific program and amazing exhibition.
We're so thrilled to share some insight into this magnificent event.
"In Bruges"
Chromatography´s Got Talent
We had such a great time at the Chromatography 's Got Talent session – it was definitely one of the most interesting events we've had in a long time! As you know the HPLC tube and KNAUER’s Science Slam are well known among HPLC enthusiasts.
Alexandra Knauer presenting the Separation Science Slam
There was something for everyone during the slam, from insights into drug development without animal testing to Hercule Poirot's Laboratory Case. Even action lovers were pretty pleased with the Dragonball Integrated Batch Saga and their live on-stage ultimate purification battle. But what stood out the most was Jiri Urbans' story about his daily lab work, including breakthroughs, routines, unexpected glitches, epiphanies and surprises. The audience awarded his ground-breaking presentation with the first prize.
From left to right: James Strachan (editor for The Analytical Scientist and host of the evening), (the one and only) Jiri Urban, Alexandra Knauer (co-host and proud wearer of “I ❤️ HPLC” socks)
But there was also something new. Do you know the answers?
Who won the Nobel prize in chemistry for their invention of partition chromatography?
Do you know the van Deemter equation?
How does a close up of your valve look like?
What are typical sounds of your HPLC system?
When the first thing that comes to your mind is: Sure, I've got this.' Then this would have been your game in the new 'Who Wants to be a Chromatography Millionaire?' Sadly, the top prize wasn't a million euros, but the person with the most correct answers earned a lot of props and fame from the HPLC community.
Hot Topics
But now let's get serious. The HPLC conference covered a broad range of topics across the HPLC spectrum, with three parallel sessions held over three and a half days.
One of the main topics was the automation of processes in the lab. There are two ways to go about this: we can either improve the lab equipment or integrate software and AI tools. In larger, high-throughput labs, robots that work with humans (co-bots) are used to get prep samples, move them around, and handle vials for HPLC systems.
Simulation and prediction tools are used for method screening and development and are strengthened by the integration of AI tools. These software upgrades are also really important in understanding the analytical results.
Another key topic was the environmental impact of HPLC methods.
Do you know the AGREE score? Sustainability Awareness Poster Award by KNAUER
The Analytical Greeness Calculator (AGREE) helps to evaluate the “greeness” of your method by scoring 12 different factors according to the 12 principles of green analytical chemistry. The prize went to the poster that best reflected the 12 principles of green analytical chemistry. When we were judging the posters, we looked at things like toxicity, safety for the operators, and how much waste was produced. But we didn't just focus on the final AGREE score. We also looked at how the poster was presented and designed overall. There was a lot of competition, with over 30 posters running. In the end, the winner was the poster by Helena Hruskova. We were so happy to have the fantastic Simona Felletti and Elia Psillakis on the jury panel. We can't thank them enough.
The winning poster by Helena Hruskova
International Women in Chromatography (IWC)
Another new thing at this year's HPLC conference was the International Women in Chromatography community. The group was introduced during ISC 2024 in Liverpool by Diane Turner, Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay, Erin Boddie and Jacqueline Hamilton. Since then, it's grown a lot and is still expanding. The idea is to build a worldwide network for women and non-binary chromatographers to create a supportive and inclusive environment for everyone. To make the community more visible we (mainly Juliane Kramer & Ina Varfaj) were present as representatives and hosted the Icebreaker Corner/Talk-to-me-table. Thanks to Gert Desmet and the HPLC organizing committee for providing us with a cozy spot in the exhibition area.
Impressions from the Icebreaker Corner
The "I love HPLC" KNAUER temple
Everyone was after the "I love HPLC" merchandise, but what else was there at the KNAUER booth?
Do you know how to increase sample throughput? We presented our latest solution, the AZURA HTQC (high-throughput quality control) system with the analytical liquid handler LH8.1. If you didn't get a chance to chat about this at the booth, check out one of our latest blogs. HTQC: High Throughput Quality Control in HPLC
What else was new?
Reliable fraction collection of your targets with the FC6.1
What’s coming next?
Stay tuned for the launch of our new versatile autosampler AZURA AS 8.1L and the new multi wavelength detector VWD 2.1L with optional conductivity monitoring which is perfect for analyzing peptides and oligonucleotides in downstream processes.
The KNAUER booth and happy KNAUER bag recipients
KNAUERs poster wall of fame
7 in one stroke. We were really pleased to present seven posters from analyzing lipids for LNP production to using a new benchtop NMR detector from Magritek.
Some of the KNAUER posters (nobody dared to get in between)
Yannick furthermore got the opportunity to present some of his latest results about SMB system downscaling within the preparative session. This incredible chance not only showcase our research to a wider audience but also elevates our profile within the scientific community, opening doors to new collaborations and opportunities.
Yannick presenting results about SMB chromatography
Fun fact
Belgian comics have enjoyed worldwide recognition and success for decades. In fact, we would be surprised if you don’t know at least a few of these comics like the Smurfs or Tintin. Belgium's got a reputation for its comics, so it was no surprise to spot a comic (surprisingly from Scotland) in the poster competition. Additional fun fact: they use some KNAUER equipment in their lab (RID 2.1L) and during the poster session, he wore the red pullover 😊
Best poster comic
We're really looking forward to the next HPLC2026 in Indianapolis, USA, and 2027 in Innsbruck, Austria. In the meantime, we hope you all keep this in mind ...
If you missed us at the HPLC or just want to chat about one of our HPLC solutions, please feel free to reach out to us or meet us at the next conference!
For further information on this topic, please contact our authors: krop@knauer.net, Krauke@knauer.net, kramer@knauer.net
