Separations Webinar | Advancements in Analysis of Biomarkers via Gas Chromatography
Separations Webinar | Advancements in Analysis of Biomarkers via Gas Chromatography
Part of the MDPI Separations Webinar series
28 August 2025
Gas Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, Exhaled Breath, Liquid Biopsy, Metabolomics
Welcome from the Chair
4th Separations Webinar
Advancements in Analysis of Biomarkers via Gas Chromatography
We’re thrilled to have you join us for this special event, hosted by the MDPI Journal Separations in celebration of our Special Issue, Chromatographic Analysis of Biomarkers.
For over five decades, gas chromatography has played a pivotal role in biomarker discovery, enabling the precise profiling of volatile and semi-volatile compounds. Today’s webinar brings together leading voices from academia and industry to highlight cutting-edge innovations and real-world applications that are shaping the future of public health and personalized medicine.
We hope this event not only honors the journal’s legacy of excellence but also sparks new ideas, collaborations, and breakthroughs that will propel the field forward.
Date: 28 August 2025
Time:5:00 pm CEST | 11:00 am EDT
Webinar ID: 833 2389 3585
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Event Chair
Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute, Indiana University Indianapolis, Indianapolis IN, USA
Mark Woollam is a Senior Research Scientist at the Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute (INDI) at Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI). His research focuses on detecting volatile organic compound (VOC) biomarkers in exhaled breath. He earned his BS in Chemistry from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2017 and completed his PhD in bioanalytical chemistry at IUI in 2022, studying VOC biomarkers for diseases like cancer, COVID-19, and cystic fibrosis. Since then, he has continued his work at the INDI, contributing to high-impact publications and funded research projects.
Invited Speakers
Presentation Title: Measuring environmental exposure to pollutants and particulates in human samples using gas chromatography
A Research Fellow at the University of Manchester in the Respiratory group. Dr. Ahmed's expertise is in the application of metabolomics to clinical breath research. He was recently awarded the Anton Amann award by the International Association for Breath Research and was highlighted as an emerging investigator in the American Thoracic Society’s Blue Journal. His current research focuses on understanding the significance of microbial and environmental exposures in chronic respiratory disease and how they can be monitored and prevented, aiming towards improving health outcomes.
LECO Corporation
Presentation Title: Emerging Technologies for the Untargeted Characterization of Volatile Organic Molecules in Biological Matrices
David E. Alonso is an applications chemist at LECO Corporation in Saint Joseph, Michigan. He specializes in the use of modern instrumental tools (e.g., NMR, IR, and MS) for the analysis of complex samples. His current work focuses on the utilization of multidimensional chromatography and high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the analysis of metabolomics and environmental samples. In addition, he is interested in the analysis of forensic drugs such as synthetic opioids (e.g., fentanyl analogs) and cannabinoids.
Sepsolve Analytical Canada
Presentation Title: Integrated VOC Analysis from Breath to Biofluids: Building Scalable Workflows for Discovery
Jonathan Grandy received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Waterloo, focusing on SPME and TF-SPME sample preparation approaches for GC-MS for both environmental and biological samples. Since joining SepSolve analytical, he has served a joint role as a Service Engineer and Application Scientist, focusing not only on ensuring that newly installed TD-GCxGC-ToF instrumentation is functioning correctly but also on assisting other scientists in successfully implementing new methods in their systems. This has allowed him to continue analytical method development for human breath and skin volatilome with others across North America.
Presentation Title: Discovering Breath Biomarkers of Fatigue Through Chromatography and Chemometrics
Heather Bean is a bioanalytical chemist that specializes in untargeted volatilomics using two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS). Her research team characterizes the volatilomes of humans, animals, plants, and environmental microbial consortia with two main purposes: 1) developing novel biomarkers and diagnostics, with an emphasis on breath tests, and 2) investigating the roles of volatile and semi-volatile metabolites in mediating microbe–microbe and host–microbe interactions.
Event Coordinator
Mr. Eray Schulz
Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute, Indiana University Indianapolis, Indianapolis IN, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indiana University Indianapolis, Indianapolis IN, USA
erschulz@iu.edu
Eray Schulz is a Ph.D. Candidate in Analytical Chemistry at Indiana University–Indianapolis. His work focuses on VOC biomarker discovery in exhaled breath and urine using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), as well as breath sampling method development and validation. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Emory University in 2021.
Registration
This is a FREE webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.
Can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Program
|
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in EDT |
Time in CEST |
|
Dr. Mark Woollam Chair Introduction |
11:00 – 11:10 |
17:00 – 17:10 |
|
Speaker 1 – Dr. Waqar Ahmed Measuring Environmental Exposure to Pollutants and Particulates in Human Samples Using Gas Chromatography |
11:10 – 11:30 |
17:10 – 17:30 |
| Q&A |
11:30 –11:35 |
17:30 – 17:35 |
|
Speaker 2 – Dr. David Alonso Emerging Technologies for the Untargeted Characterization of Volatile Organic Molecules in Biological Matrices |
11:35 – 11:55 |
17:35 – 17:55 |
|
Q&A
|
11:55 – 12:00 |
17:55 – 18:00 |
|
Speaker 3 – Dr. Jonathan Grandy Integrated VOC Analysis from Breath to Biofluids: Building Scalable Workflows for Discovery |
12:00 – 12:20 |
18:00 – 18:20 |
|
Q&A |
12:20 – 12:25 |
18:20 – 18:25 |
|
Speaker 4 – Assoc. Prof. Heather Bean Discovering Breath Biomarkers of Fatigue Through Chromatography and Chemometrics |
12:25 – 12:45 |
18:25 – 18:45 |
|
Q&A |
12:45 – 12:50 |
18:45 – 18:50 |
|
Closing of Webinar Dr. Eray Schulz |
12:50 – 13:00 |
18:50 – 19:00 |
Relevant Special Issue
Chromatographic Analysis of Biomarkers
Guest Editors: Dr. Mark Woollam and Prof. Dr. Mangilal Agarwal
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025
Sponsors and Partners
Organizers
