Capillary Electrophoresis Instruments for Medical Applications and Falsified Drug Analysis/Quality Control in Developing Countries

Abstract

The implementation of integrated analytical techniques to meet stringent requirements in the life sciences requires a well-developed analytical capacity. New technology in analytical equipment for the analysis of large and small molecules is continuously being developed. However, developing countries frequently struggle to keep pace with technological advancements. Hence, it is of utmost importance to better invest in optimizing existing and proven methodologies to tackle life-saving challenges in developing countries. In this regard, capillary electrophoresis is a promising candidate for solving multiple analytical problems compared to its chromatographic and spectroscopic counterparts due to its fast analytical response time and notable cost efficiency. In the following, we summarize various issues and opportunities for capillary electrophoresis to be the technique of choice for the unresolved bottlenecks in analytical equipment in developing countries for drug quality control. This perspective demonstrates that the ongoing quest for the design of new, impactful analytical techniques is a dynamic and rapidly developing research area and mentions some directions and opportunities that have arisen during the recent pandemic.

Characterization of the Interaction of Polymeric Micelles with siRNA: A Combined Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Study

“…The aim was to provide information on physicochemical characterization based on relatively inexpensive instruments and reduced computational costs (except for electron microscopy). The cheap electrophoresis conditions described in this article could also be implemented using a budget device [ 36 ] for quality control of these products in low-income countries, which often struggle to keep pace with technological advances [ 37 ].…”

Usefulness of medicine screening tools in the frame of pharmaceutical post-marketing surveillance

“…More than 70% of the pharmaceutical regulatory systems are estimated to lack sufficient means to guarantee the quality of their medicines [9]. This situation is most apparent in resource-limited settings, where 56.3% of incidents involving substandard medicines were reported, and where very few laboratories are able to reach international standards [10,11]. The difficulties related to the implementation of laboratory analysis in low-resource countries are multiple: instrument failure, long delivery times for spare parts, power and supplies shortage, high-cost of solvents and weak technical capacities [10,12].…”

“…This situation is most apparent in resource-limited settings, where 56.3% of incidents involving substandard medicines were reported, and where very few laboratories are able to reach international standards [10,11]. The difficulties related to the implementation of laboratory analysis in low-resource countries are multiple: instrument failure, long delivery times for spare parts, power and supplies shortage, high-cost of solvents and weak technical capacities [10,12]. Even if confirmatory techniques are available, they are generally not compatible with the field inspection phase especially in remote and resource limited locations; they require controlled laboratory facilities and highly-trained staff.…”

Three-in-One Detector by 3D Printing: Simultaneous Contactless Conductivity, Ultraviolet Absorbance, and Laser-Induced Fluorescence Measurements for Capillary Electrophoresis

“…Nowadays, portable or field-deployable capillary electrophoresis (CE) instruments have gained great popularity. , On-site applications using CE instruments include environmental monitoring, − falsified medicines analysis, antibiotics quality control, illicit drug testing or drug abuse testing, − explosive compounds detection, , and potential spaceflight missions. , In those applications, the analytes of interest covered a broad range of chemicals, including inorganic and organic molecules with very different properties. For example, for certain spaceflight missions in extraterrestrial worlds, researchers are interested in analyzing all soluble constituents .…”