Ashley Sage

30 years of LC-MS/MS innovation continues

Aug 6, 2019 | Blogs, Technology | 0 comments

In 1989, the first commercial, dedicated Atmospheric Pressure Ionisation (API) tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry system was launched at the Pittsburgh Conference (PittCon) in Atlanta, Georgia (GA), USA. The API III, as it was called, was introduced to the analytical chemistry market to enable scientists to do pioneering work by quantifying molecules in liquid-phase samples. Previously, this could only be done by introducing samples to a mass spectrometer while they were in the gas phase. Looking back, the introduction of the API III undoubtedly revolutionized the field of life science research. It propelled the development and use of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) into the main scientific arena. As Tom Covey, Principal Research Scientist at SCIEX, stated in the first episode of the Generation Quant series, “It cracked the liquid phase/gas phase dilemma.”

Revisiting the 30-year history is particularly fitting, as ASMS 2019 took place in Atlanta, GA this year, where the API III was first launched to become the benchmark for LC-MS performance. With the IonSpray™ source, the API III revolutionized the way companies performed molecular analysis, influencing significant progress in areas from pharmaceutical drug development to food safety testing.

“[The API IIIs] were incredibly sensitive. They solved problems that had existed for decades – and that was how to measure analytes in an LC flow reproducibly and with high sensitivities and single-to-noise ratios that just were not possible before,” said Jim Hager, Principal Research Scientist at SCIEX.

“Suddenly you had this new piece of software and hardware. But it was the speed of that and that’s why people adopted it,” said Liz Thomas, Co-Founder, and CEO of Alderley Analytical. “When you look at the bigger picture of that, it means they were making faster decisions, and it was helping them move the whole industry on.”

Now, 30 years later, SCIEX is still innovating and pushing the boundaries of quantification to inform customers’ critical decisions and truly make “The Power of Precision” a reality.

To learn more about the history of the API development through to today’s innovations, visit the SCIEX Generation Quant website where you can view the video series in its entirety and learn more about how mass spectrometry development touches the lives of the human population in so many ways that might not be obvious. I call it “The most widely used analytical chemistry technology that no one knows about!”

As for SCIEX innovation, the journey continues, so stay tuned for more. Register your interest to find out when new developments to move your science forward are just around the corner.

Why SCIEX partners with experts around the world

Innovation in mass spectrometry does not happen in isolation. Some of the most impactful scientific advances emerge from highly specialized research communities – proteomics experts developing new peptide identification workflows, metabolomics researchers curating spectral databases, toxicologists building compound libraries, and biopharma scientists creating novel characterization methods.

Managing ADC characterization: The challenge of turning complexity into confidence

Unlike traditional monoclonal antibodies, ADCs combine an antibody backbone with linker chemistry and a cytotoxic payload. This multi-component architecture introduces overlapping layers of heterogeneity, including drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) distributions, charge variants, post-translational modifications, and structural changes at both the intact and subunit levels. Across ADC development, these characteristics are considered critical quality attributes that must be characterized, understood, and monitored.

3 reasons ZT Scan DIA is changing the game in metabolomics

For years, metabolomics researchers have faced a frustrating reality: modern high-resolution mass spectrometers can detect tens of thousands of molecular features, yet only a fraction can be confidently identified. The challenge is no longer finding molecules. It is generating the high-quality MS/MS data needed to confidently assign structures and extract meaningful biological insights.

Posted by

Ashley Sage

Ashley Sage is the Senior Manager for Global Portfolio and Technology Strategic Marketing at SCIEX. He is responsible for looking after the strategic marketing campaigns for the product and technology portfolio. Most recently, Ashley was involved in the Generation Quant video creation and campaign. In his free time, Ashley enjoys golfing and spending time with his family.

0 Comments