In recent years, oligonucleotide-based medicines have been recognized for their potential as new treatments for rare and chronic diseases and several new drugs have been approved by regulatory agencies. Analysis of these nucleic acid polymers to confirm identity and purity by LC-MS is a challenge, as they possess several reactive groups that can lead to adsorption onto metal surfaces in a stainless-steel-based UHPLC instrument. This article introduces the improvement of quantitative performance in the LC-MS analysis of oligonucleotides using the Nexera XS inert, a bioinert UHPLC system.

Chemicals such as herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and seed treatments are widely used to maximize crop yields worldwide. Ensuring the efficacy and safety of products requires studying the formulations in detail, including even the most minor of components. In this article, we talk to Syngenta about how they’re using Shimadzu’s UFPLC systems to speed up the extraction and purification of gram quantities of by-products that are present in technical-grade active-ingredient material at levels below1 %, so providing the material needed for regulatory tests and toxicity studies.

How can you accelerate the development of therapeutic drug candidates while also reducing their cost? The global AI-driven precision medicine company Exscientia in Oxford, UK, might have the answer. By integrating AI and machine-learning in its discovery process, Exscientia has been able to generate new molecules far faster than with conventional methods and has already delivered compounds into clinical development. Exscientia’s scientists explain this new approach and how their recent collaboration with Shimadzu helped further automate the discovery process to synthesize and purify new drug candidates in superfast time.

• When? 08 - 09 October 2025 
• Where? Basel, Switzerland

• When? 18 - 19 November 2025 
• Where? Barcelona, Spain