It is no secret that (bio)pharmaceutical research and development is complex, both scientific and regulatory processes. Working for a contract research organization and more recently for SCIEX has provided an interesting perspective on trends the market experiences that affect many of us.
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Why traditional MS/MS falls short for ADCs and how electron-activated dissociation (EAD) changes the equation
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are among the most promising—and analytically demanding—modalities in biopharma today. By combining large, heterogeneous antibodies with chemically labile payloads and linkers, ADCs introduce a level of structural complexity that challenges conventional analytical workflows. It also poses the challenge that the very features you need to measure are often the easiest to lose during analysis.
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.
ADC analytics FAQs: Answering the most common questions about ADC characterization
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have emerged as one of the fastest-growing classes of biotherapeutics, combining the targeting specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the potency of cytotoxic payloads. However, this unique architecture also introduces significant analytical complexity. From drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) distributions and charge variants to conjugation sites and structural modifications, ADCs present multiple, interconnected sources of heterogeneity that must be understood to ensure product quality and performance.
Your success and voice go a long way!
At the heart of everything we do is ensuring that your workflows and team are empowered to achieve optimal results with your SCIEX instruments, software, consumables, and services. Every interaction with SCIEX is designed to support your success through the dedication...
Pharma perspectives: The influence of LC-MS innovation on drug development outsourcing
It is no secret that (bio)pharmaceutical research and development is complex, both scientific and regulatory processes. Working for a contract research organization and more recently for SCIEX has provided an interesting perspective on trends the market experiences that affect many of us.
Overcoming uncertainty in your PFAS analysis
Just like gum on the bottom of a shoe, the existence of per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in our environment is a sticky one. If you’re in the field of environmental testing, then you’re all too familiar with the threat these substances have on public health. While we have learned a lot about them over the years, there is still much more to understand. With the right detection methods, we can gather the information we need to empower us to make informed decisions on reducing the risks they impose.
6 Signs it’s time for a new vendor
A lab’s success depends on many factors from instrument quality to efficient operations, including being partnered with the right vendor. A vendor is more than just a supplier. They should provide you with a high-level quality of support in maximizing the lifespan and performance of your systems, reducing downtime, enhancing ROI and more. How do you know if you’re partnered with the right one? Here are six signs it might be time to find someone new.
Selecting an LC-MS system for quantitation of pharmaceutical drug development
We understand you are busy, needing to prioritize running instruments, reporting results and managing your laboratory to meet deadlines. We created a solution guide to explain how SCIEX systems fit in the drug development pipeline to save you time evaluating options.
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.
PFAS analysis in food: a robustness study in sensitivity and stability
The combination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing, trace-level regulatory requirements and complex MS applications can be intimidating. In a recent webinar, now available on demand, SCIEX PFAS expert Craig Butt demonstrated how the new SCIEX 7500+ system can help make PFAS testing easier.
Easy switching of sources and LC flow regimes on the ZenoTOF 7600 system
This series of videos outlines how a user can easily switch sources and operate the system in different LC flow regimes.
Automation integration for the Echo® MS system
The Echo® MS system is specifically designed to be compatible with a variety of automation options to allow labs the flexibility to personalize their setup to meet their specific needs. To help you make the best decisions for your own lab, here are the answers to some...
Processing ZenoTOF 7600 system data with DIA-NN software
DIA-NN software is a powerful software tool for processing data independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics datasets. It uses neural networks and other algorithms to identify and quantify peptides and proteins from DIA data and is specifically optimized for fast...
Sensitive and robust quantification of 15 common UV filters in commercial sunscreens
Assess the performance of the Echo® MS system
To obtain the best, most reproducible results using the Echo MS system, it is important to select the best solvent for your analyte and matrix and to ensure the flow rate is optimized for your solvent. Please review this flow rate optimization community post to...
Excel macro for calculating averages or percent CVs from replicates in a 384 -well plate
This excel workbook is designed to be used with data copied from a SCIEX OS software Analytics module results file
Excel macro for plate building for transformation of 96-well to 384-well plates with generation of batch lists for SCIEX OS software
This macro-enabled workbook is designed to help with creating a formatted analysis list for the Echo® MS system, using 96-well plate maps or lists
Back to the new basics: Part 1 | Making the leap from GC-MS to LC-MS
Producing accurate results quickly in a demanding environment is no easy feat for analytical scientists. What’s more, many of us are constantly questioning ourselves—I certainly am—about whether we are employing the best technique for the analysis at hand.
It’s an overwhelming thought, considering the wide range of tools that are available to choose from, each of which offers varying levels of capacity, sensitivity, selectivity, specificity and cost. How do you meet the unique needs of your organization without breaking the bank? I get it, and I’m not here to convince you it’s easy. My aim is to guide you through the process to help you make the right decision for you.
How do I check the quality of the Auto Retention Time Calibration used in my Extractor processing?
When using the Auto-Calibration option in Extractor, a set of retention time calibration peptides will be determined automatically from the library and used for RT calibration. To determine how the fit looks for the calibration on each datafile, follow these steps....
MRM method transfer from a SCIEX Triple Quad or QTRAP 6500+ system to the SCIEX 7500 system
General recommendations when beginning method development Objective: The purpose of this document is to provide a quick reference for transferring MRM-based quantification methods from a SCIEX Triple Quad or QTRAP 6500+ system to a SCIEX 7500 system. While the best...
Short-chain PFAS compounds are on the rise- Craig’s PFAS Vodcast Cora Young
Read time: 2 minutes Short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are increasing in the Canadian Arctic environment, with the most rapid increases occurring post-2000, according to a recent study in Geophysical Research Letters (April 2020). For example,...
Adapting a SCIEX high flow source for microflow LC
To set up a SCIEX high flow source for microflow LC (Turbo V ion source, DuoSpray source or IonDrive Turbo V ion source), first you must replace the wider bore electrodes with more narrow bore hybrid electrodes. Note with the OptiFlow Turbo V ion sources, there are...
Identifying the unknown PFAS profile in firefighting foams/AFFF
According to a recent study from Harvard University, the US EPA, and NIEHS, traditional targeted analysis techniques poorly characterize the PFAS composition of contemporary PFAS-based firefighting foams, know as aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF). Using the EPA 533 PFAS drinking water method for the analyte list, the researchers found that targeted mass spectrometry methods accounted for <1% of organic fluorine content. This is important because it demonstrates that targeted analysis methods miss nearly all the PFAS compounds in modern AFFF mixtures, thus underestimating the risk to human health and the environment.
Advanced analytics for mAb variants
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High level method optimization considerations for Echo MS system
While an in-depth discussion of method development and optimization for the Echo® MS system is beyond the scope of a community post, here are some points to consider as part of the process: The maximum recommended ion spray voltage for prolonged electrode life is 5000...
Tips to maximize electrode lifetime for Echo MS system
While it’s easy to think of the Echo® MS system as an ultrafast LC system in front of the SCIEX Triple Quad 6500+ mass spectrometer, the system operates on fundamentally different principles. For this reason, it requires different routine maintenance to keep it...
Uploading and using transcriptomics data in the OneOmics suite
RNA experiments can be created in the OneOmics suite for multi-omics analyses, enabling integration of transcriptomics data and proteomics data for biological insight. To build RNA experiments, either CloudConnect for PeakView software 2.2 or BaseSpace (Illumina) can...
High complexity of the lipidome
The complexity of the lipidome is diverse in the structure and there are many combinatorial isoforms that are available within nature. Currently, many different techniques are required to fully characterize a lipid molecule. What if you could do it in a single...
What is the difference between MRM3 vs MS/MS/MS (MS3)?
The MRM3 workflow and the MS3 scan are functionally the same QTRAP system scan, but used with different goals in mind. The main difference is how these scans are used in the whole MS workflow. With MS3 scans, you can use these in a data dependent mode for discovery...
Standard addition workflow – for quantification and calculating background levels
The method of standard addition is a quantitative analysis approach used in situations where matrix effects from complex samples contributes to the analytical signal. This makes it impossible to compare the analytical signal between sample and standard using a...