Thermo Scientific Vanquish Flex UHPLC Systems

Importance of Topic

The Vanquish Flex UHPLC system represents a significant advance in liquid chromatography, offering end-to-end flexibility for evolving analytical challenges in biotherapeutics, chemical medicine development, and routine QC workflows.
Its seamless integration with LC-MS platforms, biocompatible fluidics, and high-throughput automation drive both precision and efficiency across research and industrial settings.

Objectives and Overview

This presentation introduces the Thermo Scientific Vanquish Flex UHPLC system and its capabilities to:

• Support a wide range of routine and advanced UHPLC applications
• Enable rapid, automated method development and validation
• Integrate biocompatible fluidics for challenging eluents and biomolecule analysis
• Provide modular detection options and seamless CDS control

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Modular Vanquish Flex UHPLC platform with binary/quaternary pumps, autosampler, column oven, and multiple detector slots
• SmartInject technology to eliminate injection-induced pressure drops, improving retention time precision and column longevity
• Detection options including diode array (DAD), variable wavelength (VWD), fluorescence (FLD), charged aerosol detection (CAD), and single-quad/triple-quad mass spectrometry
• Chromeleon CDS with ChromSwordAuto software for fully automated column and eluent scouting, data acquisition, and compliance management

Main Results and Discussion

• SmartInject reduced pressure disturbances after injection, yielding high retention time reproducibility (six-replicate RSD <0.02%) and extended column life over thousands of injections
• Automated scouting evaluated up to six column chemistries and multiple mobile phase compositions in one sequence, shortening method development by over 50%
• Biocompatible fluidics showed compatibility with high-salt and proteinaceous samples, minimizing metal interaction and sample carry-over
• Vanquish Duo workflows (dual- and tandem LC) doubled sample throughput or reduced LC-MS cycle time by ~30%
• Charged aerosol detection delivered universal, sub-nanogram sensitivity for non-chromophoric analytes, complementing UV and MS detection
• On-instrument solvent and waste monitoring, touch-screen interface, and remote status tracking increased operational confidence and minimized downtime

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Versatile configurations meet demands in pharmaceuticals, food safety, environmental analysis, and biopharma QA/QC
• Automated method development and intuitive UI reduce reliance on specialized operators
• Robust, biocompatible flow paths enable aggregate and impurity profiling of monoclonal antibodies and other biotherapeutics
• Scalable network deployment with Chromeleon CDS or integration with Empower/OpenLab ensures seamless data management
• Dual-path operation maximizes instrument utilization for simultaneous analyses or rapid switching between methods
• Universal CAD and diverse UV-Vis detectors broaden quantitation capabilities for compounds lacking strong chromophores or ionization efficiency

Future Trends and Opportunities

The modular Vanquish Flex architecture paves the way for next-generation UHPLC advances, including higher-sensitivity detectors, expanded high-resolution MS coupling, and AI-driven method optimization.
Emerging 2D-LC, real-time reaction monitoring, and advanced data analytics workflows will further accelerate research and manufacturing productivity.

Conclusion

Thermo Scientific Vanquish Flex UHPLC system combines unmatched analytical precision, detection versatility, and operational simplicity to streamline modern chromatography workflows.
Its holistic design—from fluidics and hardware to software and automation—meets current needs and anticipates future demands across research, QA/QC, and high-throughput applications.

Reference

No external literature references were provided in the source material.