VelaLabs GmbH - scientific expansion continues

Implementation of a bioanalytical control device for routine measurement of drug products at VelaLabs

Bioanalytical control of biological drug substances is performed at VelaLabs using new capillary electrophoresis sodium dodecyl sulphate (CE-SDS) and capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) technology for charge and size analysis.

In 2025, VelaLabs (Vienna) performed multiple assay developments for monoclonal antibodies to analyse their size and charge - either reduced or non-reduced. The Maurice device from protein simple (ProteinSimple - Maurice) is a fully automated cartridge based imaged capillary electrophoresis system. It is a device which uses the technology of SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulphate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) and IEF to analyze the size and charge of proteins.

The Maurice uses a capillary system to separate biomolecules like antibodies, dependent on their size and charge without the need for manual handling of capillaries. Pre-built cartridges with integrated tracking of usage allow a simple analysis of CE-SDS and cIEF within 40 minutes for IgG antibodies.

Transferring an IgG assay from a different system (Sciex) to VelaLabs’ Maurice presented no major difficulties during the method setup phase. The sample results were within the expected range, producing comparable peaks.

The device is straightforward, easy to use and can be effectively used for transferring different methods to the cartridge-based CE-SDS system. Although the methods have been optimized for antibody analysis at VelaLabs, the same workflow could be applied to analyze other proteins, producing comparable and reliable results.