HPLC Core Facility: From Chromatography to Biosensor Affinity Analysis

Alexander Varvak, Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

The Bar Ilan HPLC and Spectroscopy Unit purpose is to support Life Sciences researchers’ chemical, biochemical, and biophysical analysis and characterization needs. Our unit provides a wide spectrum of services, such as bioassay development, analytical chromatography, purification and stabilization of biomolecules, and spectrophotometric characterization. In addition, our Biacore™ T100 biosensor uses Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) electrooptical phenomenon to measure the binding constants and on/off rates between binding partners. Biacore T100 enables label-free kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of monovalent and polyvalent binding. We are a leading provider of SPR biomolecular affinity analysis services to industry and academic users throughout Israel.

We maintain and operate high-performance chromatography systems equipped with sophisticated photometric detectors. We routinely perform complex analysis of biological extracts, polypeptides, oligosaccharides, and nucleic acids, using multiple detection capabilities that include Diode Array, Fluorescence, and Refractive Index detectors. With the help of HPLC-DAD system, a chemical analysis of Murex-dyed textiles dated to the Roman Period from archaeological site in wadi Murabba'at, Israel, was performed.  A sea snail Hexaplex trunculus and Armenian Cochineal were identified as sources of dye for three separate textiles. This presents a significant advance in identifying a novel dyeing technique.