An important component of the drug discovery process is the characterization of the absolute molecular configuration of proposed drugs including polymorphic properties. Vaccines and protein-based drugs require the evaluation of secondary structure and numerous stress tests. If the final product fails internal quality testing after moving into the manufacturing phase, production sites need fast methods to identify the cause of failure.

Infrared and Raman spectroscopy are among the most powerful tools for drug development and quality control. Each molecule has a unique infrared and Raman signature providing great specificity in the identification process. The infrared spectrum of proteins also reveals the secondary structure. The distribution of components can be determined by collecting area infrared and Raman images of the product in question.

The latest advances in the FT-IR and Raman instrumentation and applications will be reviewed in this webinar with a thorough discussion of the following topics:

• Absolute configuration of chiral molecules using vibrational circular dichroism
• Polymorphs identification
• Structural changes in proteins
• Maximization of protein stability
• Contaminations in pharmaceutical products 

Examples of applications will include the analysis of protein secondary structure, protein stress tests, and the evaluation of drug and excipient distribution in tablets.