The HPLC 2026 Symposium, held in Indianapolis this year, wrapped up on June 11. The premier conference featured around 800 attendees, cutting-edge separation science sessions, an impressive poster selection and over 30 vendor exhibitions.
In my last article, I detailed three oral sessions that all centered on a common theme seen throughout HPLC 2026: AI and LC-MS.
While AI was not present in most posters, there was a lot of LC. Along with the sensitivity of LC comes PFAS analysis—which many posters showcased new techniques for. I also saw a multitude of new products, mostly purpose-built columns to increase power and sensitivity.
New columns
GPL-1
The success of GLP-1 therapies, like Ozempic and Zepbound, has driven a surge in peptide drug R&D. This, in turn, has increased demand for specialty LC columns.
Waters Corp. responded to this market demand with the launch of the BioResolve Peptide and GTxResolve Lipid Phenyl-Hexyl+ and C18+ Columns at HPLC 2026. These industry-first reversed-phase (RP) columns are specifically designed for GLP-1 peptides, insulin and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).
GLP-1 peptides are especially challenging to analyze because many impurities differ by just one atom, while others have no difference in atomic composition and vary only in how their atoms are arranged spatially. BioResolve Peptide Phenyl-Hexyl+ and C18+ Columns are built to resolve these difficult impurities, with specialized 300 mm formats available when maximum separation performance and deeper impurity characterization are required.
For LNP and lipid workflows, the charged surface of GTxResolve Columns help sharpen peaks for ionizable lipids by reducing tailing. Their larger pore size makes it easier for a wide range of lipid molecules to move through the column, improving peak shape and resolving challenging co-elutions. In addition, the superficially porous particle design speeds the movement of molecules through the stationary phase, shortening run times without reducing selectivity.
Polar and hydrophilic compounds
Meanwhile, Phenomenex launched new column solutions to address the increasing analytical demand for sensitive HILIC separations in biopharmaceutical, metabolomics, clinical, environmental and food testing applications.
The new Luna Omega HILIC LC Columns, also debuted at HPLC 2026, are designed to deliver robust, improved separations of highly polar and hydrophilic compounds. The column expands the Luna Omega portfolio into hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and combines Phenomenex's silica expertise with modern surface chemistry engineered for enhanced method reliability, resolution and compatibility with UHPLC workflows.
HILIC continues to grow in importance for compounds that cannot be adequately retained in reversed‑phase chromatography, including small polar metabolites, polar APIs, nucleotides, amino acids, and other hydrophilic analytes. Luna Omega HILIC is engineered with these workflows in mind, offering predictable performance and reduced variability—key considerations for regulated environments and high‑throughput laboratories.
Long-life LC
Just a week before HPLC, Phenomenex also introduced the Endrix Long Life LC column, a new liquid chromatography solution engineered for extended column lifetime and consistent performance in demanding analytical workflows.
Designed to withstand challenging sample matrices and rigorous method conditions, Endrix Long Life LC helps laboratories move from method development to reproducible results with fewer interruptions. The columns are purpose-built for laboratories seeking to reduce downtime, improve throughput and increase return on investment without sacrificing chromatographic performance.
Endrix Long Life LC offers a robust column design to help protect against common mechanisms of column failure, including peak distortion, pressure rise from build-up, and performance drift. By prioritizing column longevity and consistency from the start, the columns enable laboratories to maintain method integrity across longer analytical campaigns. These capabilities make Endrix Long Life LC columns well-suited for pharmaceutical and clinical laboratories, forensic and toxicology laboratories, and environmental and food testing laboratories where method reliability is critical.
Posters
“Aggregate Analysis of Common GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Using Hydrophilic SEC Columns”
Although not with a new product introduction, Phenomenex also addressed the increase in GLP-1 research with a poster presented at HPLC 2026.
In this work, SEC methods were developed and evaluated for aggregate analysis of liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide using a hydrophilic, peptide-optimized SEC stationary phase and Biozen 1.6 μm dSEC-1, 90 Å column. Commercial drug products were analyzed using phosphate-buffered mobile phases with moderate organic content, and aggregation was further induced via controlled photolytic stress. Chromatographic performance was assessed for monomer and aggregate species, including resolution, retention time reproducibility, peak area precision, and sensitivity.
Across all three GLP-1 receptor agonists, the hydrophilic SEC stationary phase provided effective separation of monomeric and aggregated species under mild, formulation-relevant conditions. The minimized secondary interactions reduced the need for aggressive mobile phases, lowering the risk of method-induced aggregation artifacts.
Consistent retention time reproducibility, high resolution and strong signal-to-noise ratios were achieved for peptides spanning a range of sizes, hydrophobicity and structural complexities, demonstrating the broad applicability of this approach for modern peptide therapeutics.
The study demonstrated that a hydrophilic, peptide-optimized SEC stationary phase enables robust, reproducible aggregate analysis for structurally diverse GLP-1 receptor agonists—including liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide—under mild, formulation-relevant conditions.
Ultimately, the consistent performance observed across multiple peptides and column formats proves the versatility and scalability of this SEC approach, providing a practical framework for aggregation monitoring during formulation development, stability studies, and routine quality control of modern peptide therapeutics.
“Improved Sensitivity and Selectivity for Ultra-Short-Chain PFAS in Tomatoes Using LC-MS/MS Analysis”
Phenomenex’s research team also presented a poster on PFAS, a common theme seen at HPLC given the standard use of LC-MS to analyze the forever chemicals.
In this research, the team from California and Italy, sought to develop and evaluate a targeted UHPLC–MS/MS method for Ultra-short-chain (USC) PFAS determination in tomato using a polar analytical column combined with a delay column to mitigate system interferences.
Using a Luna Polar Pesticides 3 µm column, the researchers saw optimal separation of all eight analytes. Retention times ranged from 3.69 min (DFA) to 6.73 min (PFBS) for analytes in the main separation window. Additional delayed peaks were observed for two analytes from the delay column, separating system-derived contamination from analyte signals. No additional interferences affecting analyte identification were observed under the tested conditions.
Ultimately, the researchers concluded that the delay column effectively separates system-derived TFA contamination from analyte signals, and the overall method shows strong linearity (R² ≥ 0.98) and precision (RSD 2.74–5.57%) in both solvent and complex, high-moisture food matrices.
“Advancing the Direct Injection Analysis of Ultrashort Chain PFAS Using a Novel Core-shell PFAS Column for Environmental Water Testing”
Emily Parry, a workflow specialist with Agilent (who contributed to Labcompare’s PFAS documentary), also presented a poster on ultrashort chain PFAS—albeit in water, not food.
The study evaluated a direct-injection LC-MS/MS workflow using the Agilent Altura Poroshell 120 PFAS Column coupled with an Agilent 1290 Infinity III LC and a 6495D LC/TQ. The method targeted 9 USC-PFAS in high challenging water matrices, specifically focusing on high-ionic-strength water and real-world landfill groundwater.
The study showcased field sample results from seven different landfill sites, comparing the direct-injection methods with collaborator data in which PFBA was quantified using solid-phase extraction as prescribed in EPA Method 1633A. The study results show significant correlation (p <0.001), confirming the tested method performs comparatively to the EPA method.
Additionally, the results showed strong analyte retention and excellent peak symmetry across compounds with the Agilent Altura Proroshell PFAS couple coupled with LC/TQ. The platform performed well in both RO and high ionic strength water.
Retention times remained consistent. In groundwater, retention time closely matched those in RO water, indicating minimal matrix effects, while synthetic water showed slight early shifts. Most analytes demonstrated good precision (RSD <15%) and acceptable accuracy (70-130% recovery), supporting overall method robustness.
“Performance Evaluation of a New Tailor-made Solid-phase Extraction Column Optimized for PFAS Analysis in Agricultural Soil and Crops”
Scientists from GL Sciences (California, Japan), working with Japan’s National Agricultural Research Organization, focused their research on PFAS analytical methods in soil and crops, as these matrices often take a backseat to water.
“Currently, the analytical methods proposed by the U.S. EPA and FDA do not fully meet these needs, resulting in a cycle of trial and error at analytical laboratories in Japan and abroad. One challenge is that the types and amounts of foreign substances vary between samples, making it difficult to perform uniform extraction and purification methods. This is especially true for complex matrices such as bottom sediments, foods, and agricultural products. Although the U.S. FDA has proposed a method based on QuEChERS, which is simple and effective for screening, it has limitations regarding the precise quantification of total PFAS,” the researchers wrote in their poster.
For their study, the team addressed these challenges by combining a custom-made solid-phase extraction (SPE) column tailored for each sample’s specific matrix, based on a method developed by the National Institute of Agro-biological Sciences (NIAS). Using this approach, they simultaneously purified four major PFAS compounds—PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS and PFNA—that are of significant concern in Japan and other countries.
This customized method considers the unique characteristics of each sample and potential contaminants. The SPE column InertSep Seiseioh, which features a specially designed sandwich structure modified with a weak anion exchange resin and cleanup agent in the stacked filler material, was optimized for each sample type. The pretreatment apparatus included a Natural Drop Manifold for PFAS (GL Sciences Inc.), HPLC column InertSustain AQ-C18 (GL Sciences Inc.), and paired with LC-MS/MS analysis.
The results demonstrated effective purification, as evidenced by the nearly transparent extract solutions obtained using three different InertSep Seiseioh SPE columns under optimized conditions, with good recovery rates of the PFHxS, PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA surrogates in each sample.
By using the tailor-made solid-phase extraction column developed in this study, it was confirmed that a good recovery rate could be obtained while increasing the purification effect according to the matrix of each sample. By optimizing the extraction and purification process for each sample, the researchers say they have established a method that improves upon the U.S. FDA method by incorporating an aliquoting step, which was previously considered an issue, and enables sample purification to be completed to a state where measurement is possible in a single purification process.
In the future, the researchers said they will accumulate application examples in order to develop tailor-made solid-phase extraction columns that can be used for a wider variety of samples.