GEN-MKT-18-7897-A
Jun 9, 2025 | Blogs, Clinical, Ion sources | 0 comments
Read time: 8 minutes
The ability to consistently achieve reproducible results on many complex samples across multiple days is critical to a routine clinical laboratory. Laboratories relying on analytical instrumentation require stability and robustness to perform a variety of screening and confirmatory assays with confidence. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has become the preferred analytical method in the clinical laboratory to reliably perform precise and accurate testing as it provides best-in-class performance and reliability for the most challenging assays. LC-MS/MS offers the required levels of sensitivity and specificity for the detection and quantitation of molecules from complex biological samples, helping laboratories deliver highly accurate data for a variety of clinically relevant analytes across a wide range of assays.
At SCIEX, we support our clinical diagnostic customers with our portfolio of robust and sensitive LC-MS/MS instruments, helping them provide clinicians with fast, accurate, and actionable results. Our IVD medical devices are designed and intended to provide the optimal performance for the detection of challenging molecules in complex biological matrices, minimizing maintenance and maximizing uptime, thanks to the robustness of our ion sources and their unique features, such as the Curtain Gas, QJet Ion Guide, and active exhaust. Check out how our unique technologies make us stand out with best-in-class robustness, leading to less maintenance and providing increased uptime so that your clinical laboratory can continuously deliver meaningful and actionable results to improve patient care.
Turbo V ion source
Our industry-leading mass spectrometers feature the Turbo V ion source and Curtain Gas interface. Considered by many the gold standard in mass spec ionization, the Turbo V ion source and Curtain Gas interface provide best-in-class reliability, sensitivity and reproducibility in routine clinical testing. The Turbo V source efficiently ionizes compounds and significantly reduces cross-contamination, even with large sample loads, for high-sensitivity quantitation over a wide range of flow rates. The proprietary Curtain Gas interface reduces the need for routine maintenance and ensures maximum productivity by protecting the interface region and mass spectrometry analyzer contamination.
See how our Turbo V ion source and Curtain Gas interface enable clinical laboratories to run thousands of samples with minimal downtime to accurately quantify clinically relevant compounds with ease and confidence.
4500MD system:
Measured peak areas for 1000 consecutive injections on the SCIEX Triple Quad 4500MD system of a sample containing methamphetamine (top) and amphetamine (bottom) acquired over a period of 5 consecutive days of continuous instrument operation without operator intervention. The data shows a %CV of 1.20% for methamphetamine (top) and 1.42% for amphetamine (bottom), respectively.
IonDrive Turbo V
The IonDrive Turbo V ion source builds upon the Turbo V ion source to improve ion production, capture, and transmission. The source maintains the simple orthogonal design of the Turbo V ion source but with higher capacity heaters and a wider sweet spot with hotter, larger, and a more homogeneous spray region. The optimized curtain gas geometry and the IonDrive QJet ion guide result in rugged performance while the simplistic source architecture provides uniform temperature distribution and optimized curtain gas flow to improve robustness and ruggedness.
See how the improved features of our IonDrive Turbo V improve analysis of samples in biological matrices to provide enhanced sensitivity and optimal performance.
Citrine system:
Measured peak areas for 2000 consecutive injections on the Citrine system of a sample containing testosterone (top) and aldosterone (bottom) acquired over a 48-hour period of continuous instrument operation without operator intervention.
For additional information about our ion sources, please visit this page.
Regulated laboratories are evolving faster than ever. New analytical modalities, higher sample throughput, increasing regulatory scrutiny, and leaner teams are reshaping how work gets done. At the same time, expectations for data integrity, standardization, and operational efficiency continue to increase complexity and/or scope. In this environment, LC-MS software is no longer simply an instrument control platform—it has become a critical part of a laboratory’s quality management system. The question is no longer whether your lab has changed, but whether your software has evolved to support the way regulated labs operate today, and if they are ready and able to meet the demands, they will face tomorrow.
Analyst software has long been a trusted foundation in regulated LC-MS laboratories—and for many, it still performs reliably today. But regulated environments are evolving faster than ever. As labs transition to Windows 11, strengthen cybersecurity policies, modernize IT infrastructure, and prepare for future compliance expectations, software decisions are no longer just about what works today—they’re about managing tomorrow’s risk. Analyst will not be supported on Windows 11. While some labs may continue operating in unsupported environments temporarily, the bigger question is: when that risk becomes reality, will your lab be reacting under pressure—or executing a planned mitigation strategy with confidence?
As regulatory scrutiny increases and detection requirements tighten, laboratories are facing a new question: How can TFA be measured reliably, sensitively, and at scale?
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