A two-day seminar on 'HPLC - basic theory, instrumentation and applications,' organised by the Asian and Mideast Institute of Chemists (AMIC), was held at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad on Monday and Tuesday. High Performance Liquid Chromatography, in short HPLC, is a very important and widely used branch of the chromatographic technique. It plays a vital role in modern analytical investigations in industrial, academic, research and pharmaceutical organisations.

The seminar was attended by 70 delegates, mostly from pharmaceutical companies in and around Hyderabad. The objective of the seminar was to provide an in-depth understanding of several important concepts and latest developments in HPLC, which formed an important part of the pharma industry. The faculty for the two-day seminar included experts from industries and dealers in HPLC instruments, mostly from Mumbai.

Inaugurating the seminar, Dr K V Raghavan, Director, IICT, talked about the importance of HPLC in drug discovery. HPLC, he said, was a very important and widely used branch of the chromatographic technique which had brought revolutionary changes in the field of chemistry and several other related branches of science. Many complicated problems in chemical analysis had been completely solved with the help of these versatile analytical tools.

Dr Raghavan also talked about its various applications of HPLC in the fields of science, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, oils& fats, by making use of different systems.

Giving an overview of the institute and the seminar, Dr P S Ramanathan, president, AMIC, from Gharda Chemicals, Mumbai, said one of the aims and objectives of the Institute was to foster the advancement of the chemical profession in Asian and Middle East countries. To achieve this objective, AMIC would encourage and provide adequate basic and advanced training in this profession, resulting in the establishment and maintenance of high standards of proficiency through continuing education.

The innumerable applications of HPLC in analytical operations were evidenced by the fact that it had been accepted today as a method, comparable and complementary to Gas Chromatography. It made up part of the equipment of virtually all industrial, academic and research laboratories.

During the last four decades, very fast developments had taken place in what is now described as High Performance Liquid Chromatography in columns. With the availability of pumps capable of producing pressures of a few thousand psi, a typical HPLC analysis takes only a few minutes compared to several hours required in GC (gas chromatograph) to achieve a similar result. The situation is essentially the culmination of the efforts put forward by instrument manufacturers and top chromatographers. Most of the workers who contributed to the development of HPLC were outstanding experts in the field of GC. Their unquestionable theoretical ability, and vast experience in the field of chromatography have been the strongest assets which helped in the rapid development of this sophisticated technique.

The rapidity with which developments were taking place in HPLC and its applications is leaving many chemists in the Quality Control and R&D departments in a state of total helplessness as they do not get opportunities to get familiarised with such developments. An ever-widening gap is created among the working chemists and a seminar of this nature was intended to bridge this gap, periodically.

S Thyagarajan, Managing Director, Spinco, Biotech, Chennai, who was the guest of honour, released the Resource Material. Dr P V Diwan, Dy Director, IICT, welcomed the guests and the delegates.

Talking to Pharmabiz, Dr Diwan said it was imperative to analyse the quality of drugs used in diseases like epilepsy and cardiac disorders. The active ingredients should not be too high or less as it will have serious impact on the patient's condition. He also explained how HPLC tests are done in the laboratory.