Agilent Expands Altura HPLC Portfolio with New SEC and PLRP-S Columns to Advance Biopharmaceutical Analysis
Agilent Technologies Inc. has expanded its Altura high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column portfolio with the launch of Altura Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) and Altura PLRP-S columns, introducing new analytical solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of the biopharmaceutical industry. The latest additions are engineered to support a broad range of critical analytical workflows involved in the development, characterization, manufacturing, and quality control of complex biologic medicines, including peptides, proteins, oligonucleotides, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and other emerging therapeutic modalities.
The introduction of these columns represents another step in Agilent’s strategy to provide advanced inert chromatography technologies that deliver higher sensitivity, improved reproducibility, and more reliable analytical performance. As biopharmaceutical products continue to become increasingly sophisticated, laboratories require chromatographic solutions capable of accurately characterizing complex molecules while maintaining robust performance across high-throughput analytical environments.
The newly launched Altura SEC and PLRP-S columns incorporate Agilent’s proprietary Ultra Inert technology, extending the capabilities of the Altura product family and providing scientists with enhanced tools for critical biopharmaceutical analysis throughout drug development and commercial manufacturing.
Meeting the Growing Demands of Modern Biopharmaceutical Analysis
The rapid evolution of biologic medicines has dramatically increased the complexity of analytical testing requirements. Unlike traditional small-molecule drugs, modern biotherapeutics often consist of large proteins, nucleic acids, peptide therapeutics, or highly engineered conjugated molecules that require specialized analytical techniques for comprehensive characterization.
Each stage of development—from discovery and process optimization to manufacturing and quality assurance—depends on reliable chromatographic methods capable of measuring critical quality attributes accurately and consistently.
The newly introduced Altura columns have been specifically developed to address these analytical challenges by supporting applications such as:
- Aggregate characterization
- Molecular weight confirmation
- Size distribution analysis
- Drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) determination
- Protein characterization
- Oligonucleotide analysis
- LC/MS workflows
These analytical measurements are essential for evaluating product identity, purity, stability, efficacy, and overall product quality throughout a therapeutic’s lifecycle.
Supporting Diverse Biotherapeutic Modalities
One of the defining features of the expanded Altura portfolio is its versatility across multiple classes of biologic medicines.
The new SEC and PLRP-S columns are designed to support analytical workflows involving:
- Therapeutic peptides
- Monoclonal antibodies
- Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)
- Oligonucleotide therapeutics
- Protein therapeutics
- mRNA-based medicines
- Conjugated biologics
- Emerging complex biologic modalities
As pharmaceutical pipelines increasingly shift toward these advanced therapeutic platforms, analytical laboratories require chromatography technologies capable of handling a wide variety of molecular structures without compromising analytical performance.
The Altura portfolio aims to provide a unified solution that accommodates these increasingly diverse analytical requirements.
Importance of Aggregate Characterization
Protein aggregation remains one of the most critical quality attributes monitored during biologic drug development.
Even low levels of protein aggregates can influence:
- Drug safety
- Product stability
- Therapeutic efficacy
- Immunogenicity
- Regulatory compliance
Aggregate characterization is therefore routinely performed throughout manufacturing and quality control for numerous biologic products, including monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates.
The new Altura SEC columns have been developed specifically to improve this important analytical workflow.
Building upon the established performance of Agilent’s AdvanceBio SEC columns, the new products incorporate Ultra Inert technology to deliver improved peak shape while enhancing aggregate recovery during chromatographic separation.
Improved aggregate recovery enables laboratories to detect and quantify low-level impurities more effectively, supporting better product characterization and regulatory confidence.
Enhanced Sensitivity for GLP-1 Therapeutics
The growing success of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies has created new analytical challenges for pharmaceutical developers.
These peptide-based medicines require highly sensitive analytical methods capable of detecting trace levels of aggregates and degradation products throughout manufacturing and stability studies.
According to Agilent, the new Altura SEC columns provide up to twice the analytical sensitivity of competing inert chromatography columns during aggregate analysis of GLP-1 peptides.
This increased sensitivity allows researchers to identify low-abundance impurities that may otherwise remain undetected, potentially supporting improved product quality assessment and manufacturing consistency.
As the global market for GLP-1 therapeutics continues expanding into obesity, diabetes, and additional metabolic disorders, reliable analytical technologies are becoming increasingly important for developers and manufacturers alike.
Advancing LC/MS Workflows
Alongside the SEC columns, Agilent introduced the Altura PLRP-S columns to address demanding liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) applications.
Mass spectrometry has become an indispensable analytical tool across modern biopharmaceutical development due to its ability to provide detailed molecular characterization.
The Altura PLRP-S columns are specifically designed to perform under challenging chromatographic conditions commonly encountered in LC/MS workflows.
These applications include molecular weight confirmation for:
- Protein therapeutics
- Large biomolecules
- Complex biologics
- Conjugated therapeutic products
Accurate molecular weight determination is essential for confirming product identity and ensuring manufacturing consistency throughout development and commercial production.
Characterizing Antibody-Drug Conjugates
Among the fastest-growing areas in oncology drug development are antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
These highly engineered therapeutics combine monoclonal antibodies with potent cytotoxic agents, creating targeted treatments capable of delivering chemotherapy directly to cancer cells.
One of the most important analytical measurements for ADCs is the drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR), which determines the average number of drug molecules attached to each antibody.
DAR directly influences:
- Therapeutic efficacy
- Pharmacokinetics
- Toxicity
- Manufacturing consistency
The new Altura PLRP-S columns support these analytical workflows, enabling more reliable characterization of ADCs and other conjugated therapeutic modalities.
As ADC development continues accelerating worldwide, demand for high-performance chromatography solutions capable of supporting these complex analyses is expected to grow substantially.
Faster Conditioning and Improved Chromatographic Performance
In addition to supporting complex analytical applications, Agilent designed the new Altura columns to improve routine laboratory productivity.
Among the reported performance improvements are:
- Faster column conditioning
- Improved chromatographic peak shape
- Enhanced analytical sensitivity
- Greater reproducibility
- Robust long-term performance
Faster conditioning allows laboratories to begin analytical testing more quickly following column installation, reducing downtime and improving operational efficiency.
Improved peak shape contributes to more accurate quantification and better chromatographic resolution, while enhanced sensitivity supports detection of low-concentration analytes.
Together, these improvements enable laboratories to generate higher-quality analytical data while increasing workflow efficiency.
Addressing Analytical Challenges Across Therapeutic Classes
Modern pharmaceutical pipelines encompass an increasingly diverse range of therapeutic molecules.
The expanded Altura portfolio has been engineered to accommodate this diversity by supporting analyses involving molecules of varying sizes and chemical characteristics.
Applications include:
- Small peptide therapeutics
- Large monoclonal antibodies
- Oligonucleotide medicines
- Messenger RNA therapeutics
- Protein biologics
- Complex conjugated drugs
This flexibility allows research laboratories and quality control facilities to standardize chromatographic workflows across multiple development programs while maintaining analytical consistency.
Executive Perspective
Commenting on the portfolio expansion, David Edwards, Vice President and General Manager of Agilent’s Chemistries and Supplies Division, noted that customer response to the initial Altura product launches has been highly positive.
According to Edwards, strong market demand for high-performance inert chromatography solutions encouraged Agilent to extend its Ultra Inert technology into both SEC and PLRP-S columns.
He emphasized that the expanded portfolio enables more scientists to access inert separation technologies capable of delivering reliable, accurate, and reproducible analytical results across critical biopharmaceutical workflows.
The company views the new products as an important enhancement to laboratories working with increasingly complex therapeutic molecules.
Independent Laboratory Experience
Agilent also highlighted feedback from users working in advanced analytical laboratories.
Yanan Yang, Ph.D., Director of the Mass Spectrometry Center at MBC BioLabs, described the importance of chromatography columns capable of supporting numerous applications involving challenging biological samples.
According to Yang, Agilent’s Altura columns—including HILIC-Z, Eclipse Plus, and PLRP-S—have demonstrated:
- Excellent chromatographic peak shape
- Strong analytical reproducibility
- Reliable long-term performance
- Durability across hundreds to thousands of injections
Such performance characteristics are particularly valuable for laboratories processing high sample volumes while maintaining consistent analytical quality over extended operational periods.
Integrated Chromatography Solutions
The new SEC and PLRP-S products form part of Agilent’s broader portfolio of inert liquid chromatography solutions.
Rather than focusing solely on individual components, Agilent has developed an integrated chromatography ecosystem designed to optimize the complete sample flow path.
When used alongside Agilent instruments, consumables, and analytical supplies, the Altura columns contribute to:
- Improved workflow efficiency
- Greater system compatibility
- Enhanced analytical consistency
- Higher data quality
- Simplified laboratory operations
This integrated approach allows laboratories to minimize variability while maximizing overall analytical performance across research, development, and quality control environments.
Supporting the Future of Biopharmaceutical Development
As biologic medicines continue transforming healthcare, analytical technologies must evolve alongside increasingly sophisticated therapeutic platforms.
From peptide drugs and monoclonal antibodies to oligonucleotide therapies, mRNA medicines, and antibody-drug conjugates, each new generation of biologics presents unique analytical challenges requiring highly sensitive, reproducible chromatography solutions.
The launch of Altura SEC and Altura PLRP-S columns reflects Agilent’s ongoing investment in supporting these evolving scientific needs through innovative separation technologies.
By combining Ultra Inert technology with enhanced sensitivity, improved peak performance, robust LC/MS compatibility, and versatile application support, the expanded Altura portfolio provides researchers and manufacturers with advanced analytical tools capable of meeting the demands of modern biopharmaceutical development.
With global availability now underway, the new columns further strengthen Agilent’s position as a provider of integrated analytical solutions designed to help scientists accelerate drug development, improve manufacturing quality, and deliver reliable data throughout the lifecycle of today’s most advanced therapeutic products.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global leader in analytical and clinical laboratory technologies, delivering insights and innovation that help our customers bring great science to life. Agilent’s full range of solutions includes instruments, software, services, and expertise that provide trusted answers to our customers’ most challenging questions. The company generated revenue of $6.95 billion in fiscal year 2025 and employs approximately 18,000 people worldwide.