We spent our final day at Tergus Pharma learning from a member of the data analysis team named Praneetha. She helped us understand some more details of the operations of HPLC, discussing different types of mobile phases, two examples of stationary phases used in the columns, and functions such as the maximum pressure limit that protect the machine from possible issues with blockages. She emphasized the importance of system suitability: checking the accuracy, precision, and tailing factor of the graphs, among other guidelines, in order to ensure that the experiment can be performed successfully and repeated reliably. She also pointed out that every step and mistake made when writing in her project notebook had to be carefully documented and explained with footnotes. Then, she showed us how to prepare a standard using a placebo gel. While waiting to use a balance, we saw another scientist calibrate it by massing known weights and comparing them with a range of accepted values that fell within 1% of the actual weight. Once Praneetha had massed out the sample of placebo gel, she diluted it and used a vortex machine and sonicator to homogenize the mixture.
After lunch, Praneetha showed us some examples of HPLC graphs, which are used to check the amount of active ingredient present in a drug. As the day came to an end, she and Ravi also answered a few more questions for us. They explained that gas chromatography differs from the liquid chromatography that we have been seeing for the past few days in that the sample volatilizes while passing through coils to allow for more surface area and time. They also discussed different types of HPLC columns and the methods used to test drugs for stability over time. Finally, we said goodbye to Duffy and had a chance to meet the CEO of Tergus, Dr. Nalamothu, who had been away at a conference all week. The work I saw over the past few days definitely exposed me to different aspects of pharmaceuticals and the drug development process that I had not known about beforehand, and I’m glad to have had this valuable experience.
