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Separations
Special Issues
Advanced Separation Media and Technologies for Biomolecules
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Advanced Separation Media and Technologies for Biomolecules

A Special Issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2026 | Viewed by 2998

Editor

Prof. Dr. Jianbo Qu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
Interests: bio-separation media and enhancement of separation processes; immobilization of enzymes and cells; drug delivery; blood purification; hemostatic materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Efficient separation and purification of biomolecules constitute critical steps in biopharmaceutical development, diagnostics, and therapeutic applications. This Special Issue will focus on cutting-edge advancements in separation media and technologies, encompassing key areas such as novel separation media development, protein separation, antibody purification, nucleic acid extraction, exosome isolation, and virus-like particle (VLP) enrichment. We particularly welcome contributions on innovative separation media preparation and emerging separation methodologies for macromolecules, including liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, solid-phase extraction (SPE), and solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Manuscripts incorporating computational modeling to optimize separation strategies are also strongly encouraged.

This Special Issue aims to serve as a platform for researchers to exchange ideas on driving innovation in separation technologies through materials science, engineering approaches, and data analytics, thereby enhancing the purity, yield, and scalable production of biological products. We cordially invite original research articles, methodological improvements, and review papers with the aim of collectively advancing this field.

Prof. Dr. Jianbo Qu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Separations is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • separation media
  • protein separation
  • antibody separation
  • nucleic acid separation
  • exosome isolation
  • virus-like particles
  • separation methods
  • liquid chromatography
  • solid-phase extraction
  • modelling

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1937 KB  
Article
Optimization of Polymer Sieving Matrix Composition for DNA Fragment Separation in a Laboratory-Built Multicapillary Electrophoresis System
by Bo Yang, Ping Wang, Wentian Li, Xuanye Wei, Wenqian Bi, Chele Mugong, Sicheng Ye, Yunchong Jiang, Yoshinori Yamaguchi and Zhenqing Li
Separations 2026, 13(8), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations13080222 - 4 Aug 2026
Viewed by 353
Abstract
Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is widely used for DNA fragment analysis, but its separation performance depends strongly on the composition of the polymer sieving matrix, especially in multicapillary systems where matrix operability and reproducibility are critical. Herein, a laboratory-built multicapillary electrophoresis system was used [...] Read more.
Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is widely used for DNA fragment analysis, but its separation performance depends strongly on the composition of the polymer sieving matrix, especially in multicapillary systems where matrix operability and reproducibility are critical. Herein, a laboratory-built multicapillary electrophoresis system was used to optimize the sieving matrix for high-throughput DNA fragment separation. The system integrated twelve fused-silica capillaries, high-voltage electrokinetic injection, fluorescence detection, and digital electropherogram acquisition. Using a 100 bp DNA ladder as the model sample, the effects of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), Tween 20, and glycerol on electropherogram quality were systematically investigated. PEO concentration was the dominant factor controlling the dynamic sieving network: 0.1% PEO provided insufficient separation, whereas 0.8–1.0% PEO produced clearly resolved DNA peaks. Tween 20 improved peak regularity and electropherogram quality under the tested conditions, with 0.05% providing sufficient improvement without prolonging migration time. Glycerol affected peak distribution by increasing apparent migration resistance in the polymer matrix; however, excessive glycerol slowed DNA migration and markedly extended the separation window. Considering separation quality, matrix operability, and analytical efficiency, 1.0% PEO, 0.05% Tween 20, 2.5% glycerol, 1× SYBR Gold, and 0.5× TBE were selected as the optimized sieving matrix. Under the optimized matrix, inter-capillary migration-time alignment improved the consistency of parallel capillary outputs, with corrected migration-time RSD values generally below 0.5%. The optimized formulation provides a practical basis for high-throughput CE-based DNA fragment analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Separation Media and Technologies for Biomolecules)
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17 pages, 1479 KB  
Article
Counter-Current Chromatography Enables Use of Green Solvents for Productive Peptide Purification Processes
by Rosella Prestia, Damian Hauri, Mattia Sponchioni, Sebastian Vogg and Thomas Müller-Späth
Separations 2026, 13(7), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations13070195 - 4 Jul 2026
Viewed by 1424
Abstract
Peptide purification by preparative reversed-phase liquid chromatography remains one of the most resource-intensive stages in synthetic peptide manufacturing. Production processes commonly rely on acetonitrile/trifluoroacetic acid (ACN/TFA) mobile phases mainly because of their high chromatographic resolution. However, both components raise significant environmental and safety [...] Read more.
Peptide purification by preparative reversed-phase liquid chromatography remains one of the most resource-intensive stages in synthetic peptide manufacturing. Production processes commonly rely on acetonitrile/trifluoroacetic acid (ACN/TFA) mobile phases mainly because of their high chromatographic resolution. However, both components raise significant environmental and safety concerns related to toxicity, flammability, waste generation, and, in the case of TFA, environmental persistence as a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS, known as a “forever chemical”). Green alternatives based on ethanol, dimethyl carbonate, and sustainable acidic additives such as acetic acid have been proposed, but their industrial adoption remains limited due to reduced chromatographic performance, often resulting in lower yield and productivity under conventional batch operation. In this work, multi-column counter-current solvent gradient purification (MCSGP) was investigated as a strategy to integrate the use of green eluent systems without compromising process performance. Two therapeutic peptides, Tirzepatide and Tetracosactide, were selected as representative case studies with different structural complexity. Using ethanol/acetic acid for Tirzepatide and dimethyl carbonate/acetic acid for Tetracosactide, the MCSGP process achieved purity levels equivalent to those obtained with conventional ACN/TFA batch chromatography, with 88.1% yield at 89.0% purity for Tirzepatide and 93.8% yield at 94.0% purity for Tetracosactide. Productivity for Tirzepatide was improved, reaching 6.3 g/Lresin/h. These results demonstrate that MCSGP can compensate for the reduced separation efficiency typically associated with green eluent systems, enabling sustainable peptide purification without compromising process performance. By combining green solvents with the MCSGP process, this work paves the way for more sustainable peptide purification processes while maintaining high yield and productivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Separation Media and Technologies for Biomolecules)
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Review

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21 pages, 2654 KB  
Review
Capillary Electrophoresis in RNA Therapeutics: Toward a Core Analytical Platform for Development, Release Testing, and Process Analytics
by Bo Yang, Xuanye Wei, Wenqian Bi, Chele Mugong, Sicheng Ye, Yunchong Jiang, Yoshinori Yamaguchi and Zhenqing Li
Separations 2026, 13(8), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations13080211 - 25 Jul 2026
Viewed by 572
Abstract
The rapid expansion of RNA therapeutics requires analytical methods that resolve molecular integrity, heterogeneity, and process-related impurities. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) provides direct RNA separation with low sample consumption and can be coupled with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) or mass spectrometry (MS). This review assesses [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of RNA therapeutics requires analytical methods that resolve molecular integrity, heterogeneity, and process-related impurities. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) provides direct RNA separation with low sample consumption and can be coupled with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) or mass spectrometry (MS). This review assesses CE across RNA therapeutic development, release testing, and process analytics. We examine CE separation methods and platform formats for mRNA integrity and poly(A) tail analysis, size- and structure-related impurity profiling, circular RNA purity evaluation, RNA modification analysis by CE-MS, and aptamer discovery. We also discuss multi-capillary systems, microchip electrophoresis (MCE), automation, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted data analysis, and bioprocess integration. CE is already highly useful for selected quality control tasks, especially mRNA integrity, poly(A) tail profiling, and circular RNA purity, but broader routine adoption requires improved sensitivity, standardization, method transfer, and regulatory acceptance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Separation Media and Technologies for Biomolecules)
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