Eastern Analytical Symposium & Exposition 2022 Abstract Book

Significance of the Topic

The 2022 Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) collection of abstracts illustrates the breadth of modern analytical chemistry and its role across pharmaceuticals, environmental science, forensics, materials, and biomedicine. Advances presented emphasize sensitive detection, method robustness, high-throughput workflows, instrument miniaturization, data-driven interpretation (chemometrics and machine learning), and greener analytical practices. These developments address practical needs: regulatory compliance, point-of-care and field screening, reliable characterization of complex biological and environmental samples, and accelerated drug development.

Objectives and Overview of the Proceedings

The symposium assembled short studies and innovations with several recurring objectives:

• Improve sensitivity, specificity, and throughput for trace and complex analytes (PFAS, cannabinoids, fentanyl analogues, proteins, nucleic acids, OGSR, microplastics).
• Develop antibody-free or label-free approaches for targeted biomolecule quantitation to increase robustness and throughput in bioanalysis.
• Create portable and field-capable measurement solutions (portable Raman/IR, handheld MS, citizen science imaging) and validate their forensic or environmental utility.
• Integrate advanced data science (chemometrics, deep learning, machine learning, AI-driven modeling) into spectral and chromatographic analysis to automate interpretation and enhance discrimination.
• Advance NMR, ion mobility, and high-resolution MS methods to resolve isomers, characterize higher-order biomolecular structure, and quantify proteomic dynamics.
• Promote greener methods and automation to reduce solvent and reagent use and improve laboratory efficiency.

Methodologies and Key Approaches

This volume reports diverse analytical strategies, often combining traditional separations or spectroscopy with modern data tools. Prominent methodologies include:

• Chromatography: RPLC, HILIC, IP-RP-LC, ion-exchange, 2D-LC, trapping micro-LC, UHPLC, preparative and capillary LC with method migration simulation and system suitability statistics.
• Mass spectrometry: high-resolution QTOF, QQQ for targeted quantitation, SLIM and TIMS ion mobility for isomer separation, MALDESI imaging, DART pulsed desorption, and GC-MS/pyrolysis-GC-MS for plastics and smokeless powder analysis.
• Vibrational spectroscopy: Raman and SERS, FT-IR, A-TEEM (combined absorbance and fluorescence excitation–emission matrix) with ML for food, water, and forensic applications.
• NMR: multidimensional, covariance and deep-learning enhanced processing, spectral reconstruction, and solid-state hyperpolarization transfer modeling for improved sensitivity and resolution.
• Electrochemistry & biosensors: light-addressable electrochemistry, dielectrophoretic single-cell capture with on-chip assays, electrochemical metalloimmunoassays, and bioelectrocatalysis-based sensors for environmental and clinical targets.
• Microscopy and surface analysis: SEM/EDS, XPS, confocal Raman and QCL-IR for failure analysis, pigments, fiber analysis, and counterfeit sourcing.
• Sample preparation & extraction: automated extraction workstations, on-line SPE-UHPLC-MS/MS for PFAS in serum, QuEChERS for environmental matrices, thin-film SPME for produced water, and optimized cleanup for oligonucleotides using hybrid surface technologies.
• Data science: PLS, PCA, GA feature selection, Random Forest, gradient boosting, deep neural nets (DNN) for spectral decoupling/decoupling, activity classification, and model selection/averaging strategies for robust calibration.

Used Instrumentation

A broad set of instruments and platforms were described across abstracts; major examples are summarized thematically:

• Mass spectrometers: QToF, QQQ triple-quadrupole, Exploris Orbitrap 240, SLIM-QToF, TIMS-TOF, high-resolution ion mobility platforms.
• Chromatography systems: UHPLC, capillary LC systems, preparative LC, trapping micro-LC, on-line SPE units (Chronos), 2D-LC configurations, SFC.
• Spectroscopy and optical: Raman micro-spectrometers (portable and benchtop), SERS substrates, FT-IR, A-TEEM instruments, UV-Vis spectrophotometers, LED-UV detectors.
• NMR hardware: solution and solid-state spectrometers, rotor-synchronized MAS setups, DNN-enabled spectral processing toolchains.
• Surface and imaging: SEM with EDS, XPS, confocal Raman, pump–probe microscopy, TOF-SIMS, high-resolution optical microscopes (PlanktoScope prototype).
• Ionization/desorption: DART with pulsed gas, MALDESI MSI, pyrolysis microfurnace for microplastics, ESI sources with dual/controlled voltage for parallel eluent introduction.
• Electrochemical platforms: scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM), light-addressable electrochemical sensors (LAES), custom potentiostats, and microfluidic electrode arrays.
• Supporting tools: ICP-OES for elemental analysis, GC-QQQ for trace explosive/additive analysis, GC-MS with tailored libraries.

Main Results and Discussion

Collective outcomes emphasize practical gains and problem-specific advances:

• High sensitivity, antibody-free protein quantification strategies using orthogonal SPE and trapping micro-LC rival antibody-based enrichment while improving throughput and robustness.
• NMR combined with chemometrics and ML yields higher-resolution readouts for protein HOS and metabolomics, with DNNs performing complex decoupling and autonomous kinetic/CEST analyses.
• Ion mobility and high-resolution MS (SLIM, TIMS) enable baseline separation of glycan isomers and complex lipid/peptide isomer sets, improving glycoprotein characterization for biotherapeutics.
• Portable vibrational spectroscopy and combined Raman/LIBS approaches permit specific forensic identifications (OGSR, fibers, fentanyl analogues, body fluid ID) with nondestructive workflows and strong chemometric discrimination.
• Method migration and system suitability modeling tools exposed the influence of system dispersion, gradient delay, and autosampler needle wash on chromatographic robustness and carryover—providing predictive mitigation strategies.
• Greener tools and automation (vacuum-jacketed columns, capillary LC, digitized lab workflows, DOZN™2.0 greenness scoring) reduce solvent use and increase laboratory throughput and reproducibility.
• Novel biosensor platforms combining magnetically concentrated metalloimmunoassays and electrochemical amplification detect cardiac biomarkers at clinically relevant picomolar levels in <10 minutes, suitable for point-of-care contexts.

Benefits and Practical Applications

The reported developments translate into immediate practical advantages:

• Shorter analysis times and higher throughput for QC and potency testing (tablet extraction automation, capillary LC high-throughput approaches).
• Non-destructive forensic screening workflows that preserve DNA while providing body fluid ID and chemical discrimination at the scene.
• Improved HOS and glycan analytics for therapeutic characterization, comparability, and process control during biologics development and manufacturing.
• Field-deployable sensors and portable spectrometers aiding environmental monitoring (PFAS in fish), counterfeit detection, and public safety.
• Data-driven models and simulation tools enabling preemptive method migration planning and robust final model selection for multivariate calibration tasks.

Future Trends and Applications

The collected research points to several convergent future directions:

• Further integration of AI/DNNs with spectroscopy and NMR to automate spectral reconstruction, artifact correction, and to supply uncertainty estimates for routine analyses.
• Expanded use of high-resolution ion mobility (SLIM/TIMS) with MS to routinely resolve isomers in biotherapeutics and complex environmental samples.
• Wider adoption of capillary and vacuum-jacketed column technologies to reduce solvent consumption while improving chromatographic efficiency for LC-MS workflows.
• Greater deployment of portable and low-cost sensing platforms (optical, mass-spectrometric, microscopy) for citizen science, field forensics, and environmental surveillance.
• Continued prioritization of sustainable chemistry metrics (DOZN™2.0) and automation to reduce laboratory footprint and accelerate regulated-method deployment.
• Development of open, cloud-based data infrastructures to unlock cross-instrument analytics, standardized reporting, and enterprise-wide visualization for quality control and R&D.

Conclusion

The EAS 2022 abstracts reflect a field moving toward integrated analytical solutions where instrumentation advances, smarter sample preparation, and sophisticated data analytics come together. The emphasis on sensitivity, specificity, portability, sustainability, and automation addresses regulatory and societal needs—from safer medicines to forensic evidence and environmental health. Continued cross-disciplinary collaboration, open data practices, and validation of AI-driven workflows will accelerate translation from method development into routine application.

References

No consolidated literature list was provided in the submitted collection of abstracts; individual abstracts cite specialized methods and platforms within their descriptions.