Roxana McCloskey

How NFD improves impurity detection and peak integration in CE SDS workflows

Apr 28, 2026 | Biopharma, BioPhase 8800 system, Blogs | 0 comments

CE‑SDS remains a cornerstone assay for characterizing fragmentation, aggregation, and product‑related impurities in therapeutic proteins. UV detection has been the long‑standing standard. However, it frequently struggles with baseline noise, limited sensitivity for minor fragments, and subjective integration.

Native fluorescence detection (NFD) strengthens CE‑SDS performance by improving both detection sensitivity and interpretability.

High sensitivity without labeling

NFD leverages intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence to detect proteins label‑free, avoiding the variability and workflow burden of dye‑labeling steps.

Technical note data show:

Heavy‑chain S/N improved from 78 (UV) to 185 (NFD)
Impurity detection down to 0.01% via enhanced sensitivity and flatter baselines
Dose‑dependent detection of low‑spiked lysozyme impurities with strong linearity (R² = 0.9999)

For scientists managing stability programs or performing forced degradation studies, this sensitivity can reveal early‑stage degradation signatures that UV cannot reliably resolve.

Clearer, more stable baselines for better integration

Typical UV electropherograms show baseline drifting due to buffer absorbance and gel heterogeneity.

The NFD baseline, however, is consistently flat, improving:

Peak boundary definition
Automated integration accuracy
Review and approval cycles

These benefits reduce manual reprocessing and strengthen data defensibility across development stages.

Multi-capillary throughput for faster studies

The BioPhase 8800 system processes 8 samples in parallel, expanding CE‑SDS throughput without requiring additional instruments or longer sequences.

High‑throughput CE‑SDS paired with NFD’s sensitivity provides a strong foundation for data‑driven therapeutic development.

A balanced upgrade path from UV and LIF

NFD complements existing detection modes:

UV remains essential for bridging legacy data
LIF remains the most sensitive tool for dye‑labeled assays
NFD occupies the ideal middle ground with label‑free sensitivity and stable baselines

This offers scientists flexibility while building long‑term method robustness.

Explore the CE‑SDS NFD data

For deeper review, check out the resources in our NFD solutions hub >

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Roxana McCloskey

Roxana has over 15 years of experience in sales and marketing roles in the MS community. As Senior Global Marketing Manager for protein therapeutics at SCIEX, she specializes in communicating innovations in MS and CE-based workflows to the biopharma community.

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