High-speed HPLC/MS/MS analysis of biological fluids: a practical review

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Increasing demand for high-throughput analytical methods in drug discovery.
• Reliable quantitation of analytes in biological fluids is now essential for biological screening.
• Traditional methods struggle to keep pace with the accelerated demands of modern drug discovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current state-of-the-art in high-speed analytical techniques for drug discovery.
• To identify practical and effective approaches for rapid quantitation of diverse compounds.
• To address key challenges in high-throughput bioanalysis.

Main Methods:

• Focus on high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric (HPLC/MS/MS) techniques.
• Discussion of generic methods applicable to structurally diverse compounds.
• Emphasis on approaches for sample preparation, automated method development, and rapid analysis.

Main Results:

• HPLC/MS/MS is the primary successful approach for direct, high-speed quantitation of numerous compounds.
• Generic methods are key to handling diverse chemical structures efficiently.
• Advances in automation and sample preparation are critical for throughput.

Conclusions:

• High-speed HPLC/MS/MS is indispensable for modern drug discovery throughput.
• Effective strategies involve generic methods, streamlined sample preparation, and automated analysis.
• The reviewed techniques offer practical solutions for rapid bioanalysis in pharmaceutical research.