Eastern Analytical Symposium & Exposition 2024 Abstract Book

Overview of the 2024 Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) Abstracts

Significance of the Topic (why this collection matters)

• The 2024 EAS Abstract volume captures current trends and practical advances across analytical chemistry: method innovation, instrumentation, regulatory-driven method development, and applications spanning pharmaceuticals, biopharma, environmental monitoring, materials science, forensics, and cultural heritage analysis.
• It highlights how modern analytical science is addressing urgent needs — higher throughput, greener workflows, robust characterization of complex biologics (oligonucleotides, peptides, ADCs, viral vectors), trace-level environmental contaminants (PFAS, nitrosamines), and new imaging/single-molecule tools for life-science problems.

Goals and scope of the compiled abstracts

• Provide a snapshot of method and instrumentation advances useful for R&D, QC/QA, regulatory submissions, and forensic practice.
• Showcase cross-disciplinary techniques: advanced LC/GC separations, mass spectrometry (including CD‑MS and novel ambient ionization methods), NMR (quantitative and structural innovations), vibrational nanospectroscopies, imaging mass spectrometry, and optical nonlinear probes.
• Emphasize practical outcomes: method robustness, validation strategies (ICH Q14/Q2(R2) discussions), process analytics (PAT), and sample-prep/cleanup solutions for complex matrices.

Methodology and general analytical approaches emphasized in the abstracts

• High-resolution and high-mass-range mass spectrometry: charge detection MS (CD‑MS) for megadalton particles (viruses, VLPs, gene therapy vectors), LC‑MS/MS and LC‑HRMS for small molecules and PFAS, and ion‑mobility or multistage workflows for complex mixtures.
• Chromatography advances: two‑dimensional LC (orthogonal 2D-LC and SEC×SEC with UV‑MALS‑dRI for absolute MW), tandem‑column LC strategies, capillary LC columns (C18, carbon, HILIC), and GC×GC for complex volatile mixtures (E&L).
• NMR innovations: ultra‑sensitive experiments (i‑HMBC for isotope‑shift detection), platform qNMR and digital qQMSA workflows, and specialized 1D/2D arrays (TOCSY/TOCSY‑DEPT) for structural characterization.
• Ambient and high‑throughput MS sampling: acoustic ejection MS (AEMS/Echo‑MS), automated DESI-MS platforms, droplet‑APCI and FIA‑MS, supporting reaction screening, HTS, and rapid biocatalysis/enzyme evolution workflows.
• Vibrational and photothermal imaging: O‑PTIR for sub‑micron IR on particulates and biologics, FE‑PTIR for autofluorescent biomaterials, hyperspectral FTIR/Raman nano‑imaging for skin/hair/cosmetics and biomedical samples.
• Single‑molecule/biophysical tools: single‑molecule FRET for protein–RNA interactions, deep‑learning segmentation of fibril morphologies, and optical nonlinear probes (NIR‑vSHG, SHG) to study interfacial vibrations and bond anharmonicity.

Instrumentation Used (summary of key platforms cited across abstracts)

• Mass spectrometers: UHPLC‑QTOF, triple quadrupole QQQ (MRM), quadrupole‑TOF, high‑resolution LC‑HRMS, transportable MS for field labs, destruction-based combustion ion chromatography (CIC) detectors for total fluorine, MRR instrumentation for headspace rotational spectroscopy.
• Chromatography hardware: UHPLC systems, 2D‑LC/GC×GC platforms, capillary LC columns (0.1–1.0 mm I.D.), SEC and SEC×SEC coupling to MALS and dRI detectors, low‑bleed GC columns for extractables analyses.
• NMR spectrometers: high‑field (1H, 19F, 13C), specialized experiments (i‑HMBC), and qNMR workflows with digital spectral files and qQMSA fitting.
• Vibrational and photothermal systems: FTIR (ATR/ER/Lumos), confocal Raman microscopes, O‑PTIR and FE‑PTIR microscopes, LDIR imaging, and hyperspectral imaging set-ups.
• Single‑molecule and optical systems: EMCCD cameras for single‑molecule blinking classification, FRET microscopes, sum frequency generation (SFG), and second-harmonic generation (SHG) imaging modules.
• Supporting analytics: ICP‑MS for elemental impurities (ICH Q3D/USP <232>/<233>), automated solid‑phase extraction (SPE) workflows, VAMS devices for microsampling, and microfluidic/packed capillary column preparation hardware.

Main results and discussion (representative outcomes and themes)

• Mass spectrometry entered the megadalton domain: CD‑MS combined with chromatography (SEC/affinity) provides stoichiometry and assembly-state distributions for viruses, VLPs, and gene therapy vectors, improving characterization of complex biologics.
• Throughput and automation leaps: Acoustic ejection MS, DESI‑MS automation, and AEMS enabled sample rates approaching 1 Hz or faster, accelerating HTS, reaction screening, and PAT monitoring for continuous manufacturing (e.g., tirzepatide hybrid SPPS/LPPS with online UHPLC PAT).
• Improved sensitivity and new measurement modes: O‑PTIR and FE‑PTIR deliver chemical identification of sub‑visible particulates and autofluorescent biomaterials; MRR headspace enables spectral overlap‑free quantitation of GC‑challenging volatiles; SERS yields femtomolar PFAS detection in water.
• NMR advances expand structural reach: i‑HMBC resolves ambiguous HMBC correlations via isotope shifts for proton‑deficient molecules; DFA (2,2‑difluoroacetamide) proposed as a broadly soluble, tunable qNMR internal standard; automated qQMSA pipelines reduce manual qNMR workload.
• Regulatory and method lifecycle focus: Presentations emphasized implementing ICH Q14/Q2(R2), USP‑aligned qNMR platform methods, and validation strategies for robust Method Operable Design Regions (MODR) and analytical target profiles (ATP).
• Environmental analytics matured: Total fluorine approaches (CIC and TOP assays) plus LC‑HRMS non‑target workflows are being combined to close PFAS mass balances in complex matrices (AFFF formulations, environmental samples).
• Biomarker discovery and proteomics: Multi‑omics efforts (degradomics, proteomics) applied to breast milk/serum and environmental toxicology (vitellogenin in fish), leveraging nanoLC‑MS/MS and targeted follow‑up (AQUA/MRM) for candidate verification.

Benefits and practical applications highlighted

• Faster decision cycles in medicinal chemistry, process R&D, and HTS via label‑free, high‑throughput MS approaches.
• Enhanced characterization of complex modalities (peptides, oligonucleotides, ADCs, viral vectors) supporting safer, better‑controlled manufacturing and regulatory dossiers.
• Greater environmental and public‑health protection through improved PFAS and nitrosamine detection workflows, and field‑deployable spectrometers for rapid screening.
• Reduced environmental footprint and adoption of green analytical chemistry practices in forensic and industrial laboratories.

Future trends and potential uses

• Automation + AI/ML integration: Deep learning for MSI and single‑molecule image segmentation, ML spectral prediction for VUV/UV, and data‑driven method optimization (self‑optimizing flow reactors) will accelerate analytics and interpretation.
• Platformization and digitalization: qNMR platforms, digital spectral files (dSF), and automated qQMSA pipelines point toward standardized, shareable digital analytical products.
• Convergence of total‑mass / non‑target and targeted assays: Combined CIC, TOP, and LC‑HRMS workflows to achieve comprehensive PFAS mass balances and uncover unknowns in complex matrices.
• Downscaling and nanoscale vibrational imaging: Continued growth of O‑PTIR, FE‑PTIR, nano‑IR and nonlinear vibrational probes to reveal chemistry at submicron to nanometer length scales, important for particulate characterization and cell imaging.
• Regulatory impact: Increasing adoption of ICH Q14/Q2(R2)‑aligned development and lifecycle practices; emphasis on MODR, ATP definitions, and robust, transferable methods across labs and instruments.

Conclusion

• The 2024 EAS abstracts document a field in active transformation: analytic chemists are combining higher‑sensitivity instrumentation, orthogonal detection modes, automation, and computational tools to meet growing demands for speed, depth, and regulatory rigor.
• Practitioners should consider adopting: multi‑dimensional separations for biologics, ambient/high‑throughput MS for screening and PAT, advanced NMR experiments for structural bottlenecks, and combined total‑/non‑target strategies for environmental contaminants.

References

• A. Winston, Sustainable Business Went Mainstream in 2021, Harvard Business Review, 2021 (referenced in the EAS abstracts).
• Lodge S., et al., Anal. Chem., 2021, 93, 3976–3986 (referenced in NMR/CRA FT work).
• Nitschke P., et al., Anal. Chem., 2022, 94, 1333–1341.
• Fuertes‑Martín R.; Correig X.; Vallvé J.C.; Amigó N.; Life 2021, 11, 1407.
• Krishnamurthy K.; Magn. Reson. Chem., 2013, 51, 821–829 (CRAFT/CRAFT‑based NMR analysis reference).