Tags

  • Sorting

  • Filters

Sensitivity, It’s at the Very Heart of Who We Are

  Walk into any modern pharmaceutical company these days, and you’ll likely find at least one if not many, SCIEX LC-MS/MS instruments. Assays for the detection and quantitation of small molecule drugs, metabolites, biotherapeutics, biomarkers, and many other analytes...

The Advantages of a Software Maintenance Agreement

You’ve bought your mass spectrometer. You’ve installed all your hardware. You’ve got your operating software set up. You’ve mastered your software workflow modules to optimize quantitative and qualitative data processing. That’s it, right? Even though your system is...

You’ve Edited the Gene. Now What?

Protein-Level Verification Without The Need For Antibodies Using SWATH® Acquisition. Fast, Comprehensive, and Highly Reproducible Although humans have been able to influence the traits of plants and animals for thousands of years through domestication and selective...

Nitrosamines: Where are we now?

Nitrosamines: Where are we now?

Nitrosamines are a large group of N-nitroso compounds that share a common functional N-N=O group. They are produced by a chemical reaction between a nitrosating agent and a secondary or tertiary amine. Back in 2018, nitrosamines suddenly found themselves in the spotlight when they were unexpectedly detected in medications for high blood pressure. Since then, they have been found in several other prescription medications, including those for heartburn, acid reflux and diabetes, resulting in manufacturers recalling some common medications.

Thailand cannabis legalization

Thailand cannabis legalization

Thailand has become the first southeast Asian country to legalize cannabis for medical use. Cannabis was originally introduced into Thailand from India, and until it was outlawed in the 1930s, it was historically used as a kitchen condiment, medicine and source of fiber.

The honey sting

The honey sting

As a consumer it’s hard for me not to feel inundated with claims that our food is “all-natural” or “chemical-free” or that we should buy certain “superfoods” for their health benefits.  We read labels and trust that the product we are buying is what we are truly...

Is Your Lab Prepared for Testing? The Global Supplement Market is Growing

Is Your Lab Prepared for Testing? The Global Supplement Market is Growing

Don’t judge a nutritional supplement by its label, as often, government monitoring of ingredients begins after the product enters the consumer market1. Meanwhile, there may be additional additives not mentioned on the label as they are used to address supplement side effects. Such is the case in the United States where even though federal law requires supplements to carry a dietary supplement label or a substitutional term, monitoring begins once a supplement is on the market. In China meanwhile, the China Food and Drug Administration’s (CFDA) health product potential illegal additives list, clearly stipulates monitoring processes for additives in six different types of nutritional supplements including weight loss, blood sugar reduction, blood pressure reduction, anti-fatigue, sleep improvement and immune strengthening functions.Read Tech Note >

How to Detect Additives in Cosmetics Amongst Ever Changing Regulations

How to Detect Additives in Cosmetics Amongst Ever Changing Regulations

In today’s technical blog, I’m talking about the cosmetics industry so let’s get right to it. According to a Research and Market report, “The Global Cosmetic market was $460 billion USD in 2014 and is estimated to reach 675 billion USD by 2020, growing at a rate of 6.4%.”1 The U.S. leads the pack with a reported $62 billion in revenue earned in 20162. So, what am I getting at? We know earnings are strong and consumers like their products. But the question remains, are these products that you put on your skin, hair, and ingest safe? Such is the thinking of scientists like me and other chemists who are routinely tasked with detecting minimal levels of potentially harmful ingredients in personal care products against ever-changing global regulations.

A Mine of Quantitative Proteomic Information

A Mine of Quantitative Proteomic Information

The Aebersold group at ETH Zurich focuses on proteomics research, including the development of techniques to study the proteome as an integrated entity. In collaboration with SCIEX, the group established SWATH® Acquisition mass spectrometry, a data-independent acquisition (DIA) method capable of fragmenting multiple peptide species concurrently. The resulting comprehensive data set can be retrospectively re-mined, enabling maximum benefit to be derived from any study.

Delivering New Biologics to the Marketplace

Delivering New Biologics to the Marketplace

Characterization and quantification of host cell proteins (HCPs) in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing is a critical step to ensuring product safety. While this can be achieved using ELISA, mass spectrometry using the SCIEX TripleTOF® 6600 System is more specific and enables the identification and quantitation of each of the individual proteins present.

Speeding the Development of Quantitative Biosimilar Assays

Speeding the Development of Quantitative Biosimilar Assays

When developing new quantitative assays for Biotherapeutics, every biologic requires a specific sample prep strategy, which includes sourcing reagents and research protocols. However, as every bioanalytical lab knows all too well, it can also take up to two months to develop an optimized and robust LC-MS assay. For this reason, researchers understandably want an easier way to develop highly sensitive and specific assays for biotherapeutics and biosimilars to accelerate sample turnaround time.

The Benefits of Using SWATH Acquisition Technology when Testing Pesticides in Food

The Benefits of Using SWATH Acquisition Technology when Testing Pesticides in Food

Up until recently, SWATH® Independent Data Acquisition (IDA), was not widely used for the detection of pesticides in food samples. Introduced in 2012, SWATH Acquisition is an advanced acquisition technology capable of running on high-resolution mass spectrometers such as the X500R QTOF system or Triple TOF technology. Originally used in the Omics market to ID and quantify complex samples, SWATH Acquisition is gradually making a transition across markets including the investigation of pesticides in food. Like designer drugs, pesticides continuously undergo synthesizing, and food labs are beginning to require a more reliable analysis method to be confident in their resulting reports.

Single Injection, Routine Antibiotic Testing in Urine Samples

Single Injection, Routine Antibiotic Testing in Urine Samples

The consumption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products is a day to day occurrence. Once consumed the body excretes the remaining part of the compound which is not absorbed. This waste, flushed down the toilet, makes its way through the sewage system before arriving at a treatment facility where it was then processed with chemicals to ensure its cleanliness. Despite being washed, there can remain trace amounts of bacteria, hormones, metals, and antibiotics in whatever you consume, not just water

Food Allergies – How Allergic Are You?

Food Allergies – How Allergic Are You?

A recent study published by the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), pointed out, in a study of 109 people tested, that skin prick tests are not 100 percent reliable. In the study, participants were subjected to oral food challenges prior to skin testing in which 50 percent of individuals had no reaction. It was also discovered that blood tests were not full-proof even though they measure the presence of IgE antibodies to specific foods. These results are not surprising given that 50 to 60 percent of tests result in false-positives.

A Fresh Approach to Food Safety

A Fresh Approach to Food Safety

The EU Reference Laboratory (EURL) for Fruits and Vegetables in Almería is responsible for a network of around 200 laboratories which provide essential surveillance and monitoring to ensure the safety of foodstuffs available across Europe. The EURL provides proficiency testing and method development for these official laboratories, ensuring rigorous screening to avoid harmful chemicals entering the food chain

The Only Solution You Need for Fast MetID

The Only Solution You Need for Fast MetID

If you work in the breakneck world of therapeutic development, then you probably don’t even have time to read this blog (but we thought we would write it anyways, just in case). Drug metabolism samples are coming into your lab fast and furious. You need to turn them around in hours so that chemists and biologists can optimize the effectiveness of the therapeutic candidate. Time for lunch? We don’t think so!

The Key to Measuring Chemical Dyes in Food is LC-MS/MS

The Key to Measuring Chemical Dyes in Food is LC-MS/MS

Adding colorful dyes to food is nothing new. In the early 19th century, for example, it wasn’t uncommon for manufacturers to add chalk to white bread, thicken milk with a lead compound, and inject red dye into meat in the quest for a fresher appearance1. Fast forward to the 21st century, however, and along with mass spectrometry, food standards have come a long way. Foods now must pass muster according to standards set by government regulators or else risk fines and punishment which can be costly for the manufacturer.  To support these measures, are agencies such as the US-FDA, EFSA, and others which have banned some colors due to their toxic and carcinogenic nature which brings me to mass spectrometry analysis. Discover more when you read the following application note, “LC-MS/MS Analysis of Emerging Food Contaminants,” in which researchers used the ExionLC AD with a Phenomenex Column for sample separation followed by MS/MS detection with the SCIEX X500R QTOF system.

What is your Method for Separating Challenging Polar Molecules?

What is your Method for Separating Challenging Polar Molecules?

From small ions like phosphate, herbicide degradation to metabolites, oligosaccharides, peptides, and proteins. How is your lab analyzing polar molecules? The reason I ask is there is a saying, if you have a charged or polar molecule, look to capillary electrophoresis (CE) first. While liquid chromatography (LC) is an ideal front-end separation tool for many types of molecules, as the following poster points out, “From Small to Very Large, Orthogonal, Sensitive Polar Molecule Analysis by CESI-MS,” there are some situations that call for CE over LC analysis. For those of you that are not familiar with CESI-MS, it is the combining of CE separation with electrospray ionization, into one dynamic process, within the same device.

The Trouble with PFAS in Drinking Water

The Trouble with PFAS in Drinking Water

There has been a string of news articles concerning polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water these days, and I must say, they have my attention. Here is the thing, when you think of drinking water in the United States, for example, crystal clear lakes, rivers, and groundwater along with effective water treatment come to mind. On the flip side, as safe, some supplies may be there are communities such as that of Flint, Michigan, which have been dealing with lead filled pipes for far too long. Contamination was so bad there that residents were provided bottled water for drinking purposes as the state decided who was responsible for replacing the affected water lines.

The Power Behind LC-MS for Quantifying mAb Therapeutics

The Power Behind LC-MS for Quantifying mAb Therapeutics

Quantitation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in biological fluids is important during all stages of antibody drug development. First developed in the 1970s, therapeutic mAbs have both research and medicinal impact as they can be used for diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of diseases, and have a high level of specificity.

Wordpress Social Share Plugin powered by Ultimatelysocial