Do you want a more efficient workflow for the forensic analysis of THC-COOH in hair samples? Yes! Do we know a simple, highly sensitive technique? You bet! Read on to find out how you can detect THC-COOH in hair down to 0.2 pg/mg trace concentration levels with...
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New features in OneOmics suite
I just wanted to thank the readers here, both the OneOmics suite users who’ve shared their time and watched OneOmics grow, and for all the talented developers and scientists who’ve made OneOmics suite what it is today.
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...
Merging two FASTA files
There is an easy way to merge two FASTA files together. Open notepad and type this string: type %*>"newfile.fasta" Enter any name for the FASTA file between the quotes. Save the file as: Merge FASTA files.bat Copy the two files you want to merge into the same...
Intabio acquisition expands SCIEX portfolio of impactful solutions to accelerate biotherapeutic development
Due to the nature of their production, biotherapeutics are difficult to manufacture. Growth conditions, purification protocols and formulation requirements can introduce unintended modifications into the protein structure that may affect its efficacy and safety.
Breaking down the SCIEX Triple Quad™ 7500 LC-MS/MS System – QTRAP® Ready
Sensitivity and robustness carry different meanings in the world of mass spectrometry. Generally, sensitivity refers to an instrument’s ability to achieve lower limits of detection (LOD). Robustness, on the other hand, refers to an instrument’s ability to consistently...
Importing acquisition methods from Analyst software to SCIEX OS software
The SCIEX Triple Quad 7500 system is the first nominal mass instrument to be released completely on SCIEX OS software. Moving to a new software solution can be time consuming with the need to transfer numerous methods to the new platform. SCIEX OS software helps...
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...
Innovation that’s blasting through limitations in explosive detection
Mass spectrometry’s important role in identifying explosives The need for rapid explosive detection is now an unfortunate reality. The remit is multifaceted. The first is for preventative purposes, to protect us from any threat to life. The second is in the...
A new generation of therapeutic modalities
There are over 7,000 genetic diseases that could potentially be cured using gene therapy. Rare metabolic diseases, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease and cancers are some of the top disease classes that can be addressed with gene therapies. With over 1,000...
Enhancing Biologics with CESI-MS Characterization
Comprehensive characterization of a biologic requires analysis at both the intact and digest levels, but these analyses can be complex and cumbersome. For example, with conventional liquid chromatography separations, researchers are often left with limited information...
Glycosylation Analysis Designed for the (Protein) Masses
A variety of post-translational modifications (PTMs) can impact a biotherapeutic protein’s mass, but none are as common as glycosylation.[1] Hence, the headline for a recent article in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, “Post-Translational Icing on the Biologics Cake,” featuring comments from Sean McCarthy, Ph.D., Global Market Manager of Biologics at SCIEX.
Struggling to Analyze Small Volume Samples with Conventional LC-MS?
The M3 MicroLC System is designed for scientists who are struggling to analyze small volume samples with conventional LC-MS and need to lower their limits of quantitation while maintaining throughput and robustness. When designing the M3 MicroLC System, we...
Legal and Illicit Drugs in Wastewater Detected and Confirmed with QTRAP Technology
What happens when you up the sensitivity and lower detection limits on influent and effluent sewage tests? For starters, low levels of illegal drugs in samples begin to emerge. This is what researchers discovered when they combined the power of LC-MS/MS with the...
Using SelexION to Increase Selectivity for the Accurate and Sensitive Quantitation of a Difficult Peptide Therapeutic
SelexION® DMS Technology Drives Advancements in Challenging Large Molecule Bioanalysis By the End of 2024, the peptide therapeutics market value is expected to reach US$46.6 billion1. However, peptide therapeutics present some of the toughest analytical...
Harnessing the Power of MRM3 for Large Molecule Quantitative Bioanalysis
In a previous blog outlining the advantages of high-resolution accurate mass measurements for protein quantitation using the TripleTOF 6600, it was noted that although the triple-stage quadrupole demonstrated high sensitivity when operated in multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM), the relatively low-resolution measurement of m/z failed to discriminate Rituximab response from nominally isobaric interferences given the complexity of the proteolytically digested samples (June 28/2016). While the accurate mass filtering capabilities of the TripleTOF 6600 represents one mechanism for achieving increased selectivity over MRM, the triple quadrupole/linear ion trap (LIT) hybrid platform represented by the QTRAP® 4500, 5500, 6500 and 6500+ systems provides an alternative technique by leveraging a third stage of MS, often referred to as MRM3. In this blog, we outline the MRM3 scan function and survey several large molecule applications which utilize the additional stage of fragmentation in the LIT to yield significant improvements in achievable detection limits when compared to MRM.
A Sting in the Tale for Neonicotinoids
Did you know one out of every three mouthfuls of your meal is a product of honeybee pollination—almonds and other tree nuts, berries, fruits, vegetables? To put numbers behind it, honeybee pollination amounts to about $15 billion of U.S....
The detection of acid herbicides and urons by large volume injection
Pre-treatment versus direct injection – that is the question posed in the application note, “The Detection of Acidic Herbicides and Phenyl Ureas by LC-MS/MS with Large Volume Injection and Automated Column Switching.” It’s just one of the dozens of articles you will find within the Environmental Compendium (pages 1 to 4, pesticides) now available for download.
See What More You Can do With 360 Degree Biologics Characterization
Ever wish you had your own team of mass spectrometry experts at your side when working through biologics development and characterization challenges? With SCIEX 360° Innovations complex biologics characterization is streamlined with a full suite of mass spectrometry (MS), capillary electrophoresis (CE) systems, software, and services from SCIEX experts.
You’ve Seen It… Now Try It! BioPharmaView Software 2.0
At ASMS this year, the newest version of BioPharmaView Software was released. This software simplifies the processing of biotherapeutic data for characterization and comparability which can dramatically improve your productivity. BioPharmaView 2.0 Software accelerates characterization and comparability studies and simplifies reporting, so you can make better decisions, faster.
Quantitation of Antibiotics and Insecticides in Poultry Feed using LC-MS/MS
Quantitating antibiotics and insecticides in poultry is serious business. Overuse can lead to antibiotic resistance while insecticide residuals can cause harmful side effects in humans. In the United States, for example, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), has offered up a plan to limit common antibiotics in feed, which are used to encourage growth. However, this is a voluntary plan, and as the following application note, “Quantitation of Antibiotics and Insecticides in Poultry Feed using LC-MS/MS,” points out, antibiotics have been shown to accumulate in poultry feathers, which are in turn used for nutritional elements in the feed.
Screening Novel Psychoactive Substances with Confidence
How do you know what you can’t see? This is the challenge many a lab faces as they relentlessly test for novel psychoactive substances (NPS) as unknown samples with an ever-changing ingredient list make discovery difficult work at best. There are many reasons for the complexities of which you can discover in this application note, “Accurate Mass Screening Workflows for the Analysis of Novel Psychoactive Substances.” However, the biggest of which is that non-targeted findings can turn up thousands of molecular features in a single sample. Sifting through the peaks is laborious, and many are normal besides.
Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Drinking Water – EPA Method 537
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), requires a new list of no more than 30 unregulated contaminants to be monitored by public drinking water systems. Known as the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR), a new list is published every five years. The last rule, UCMR3, was published May 2, 2012, and is the focus of the following application note, “Analysis of Perfluoroalkyl (PFFA) Acids Specified under the UCMR3 Using the QTRAP® 6500 LC-MS/MS system,” which can be found in the Food and Environmental Compendium.
SCIEX helps set food standards in China
One of the biggest concerns of Chinese citizens is food safety1. Even though China ranks second in global economies2, crowding, industrial pollution, labor and certain agriculture practices have contributed to this. In October 2015, however, we began to see a turnaround as the Chinese government revised its 2009 Food Safety Law in an attempt to strengthen its food supply oversight and quality.
Discover the new and accurate SCIEX way to enhance your routine food allergen testing
Food allergy is an immune-mediated, adverse reaction to an antigenic protein. Even limited exposure to an antigen can provoke a significant reaction in sensitive individuals, causing rashes, itching and swelling in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, and asthma. Additionally, food allergies are the leading cause of anaphylaxis, an acute, potentially deadly allergic reaction. The prevalence and severity of food allergies are rising, with approximately 150 million people suffering from food allergies worldwide.1, 2 Presently, there is no cure for food allergies, and sufferers must rely on the correct labeling of foods to avoid consuming allergens. Hence, the development of sensitive and accurate analytical methods to screen for the presence of allergens in food products is necessary for the prevention of potentially life-threatening health problems for allergy sufferers.
Three Infographics to Show You How to Overcome Challenges in Transitioning to Biologics Bioanalysis
The move to large molecules in Pharma is accelerating, offering unprecedented opportunities to improve human health and expand into new markets. But for those with extensive experience with small molecule bioanalysis, the shift to biologics can be challenging, from Sample Prep to Instrumentation and Software, to Methods and Training:
Rapid Characterization of Biologics using CESI-MS
Today, 30 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), have been approved for the treatment of certain cancers, autoimmune and infectious diseases. Even more are in development, and perhaps you and your team of scientists are working on one now. Keeping pace with fast development timelines while performing comprehensive characterization of biologic candidates can be challenging. However, more and more, scientists are tackling these challenges with new techniques to speed and simplify their characterization workflows. Read more in the application note, “Rapid Characterization of Biologics using a CESI 8000 – SCIEX TripleTOF® System,” found in the Biologics Analytical Characterization Compendium, which highlights how CESI separation coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry can provide a comprehensive characterization of biotherapeutics.
The Not So Hidden Truth about Climate Change How It’s Poisoning Your Food
Did you know climate change could be poisoning your food? According to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) report on Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern, rising temperatures are making crops more toxic.
Guardians of Antibiotics
This second is a blog series on the global war: Rise of Superbugs! Part 1 took a critical look at the antibiotic threat we face in today’s battlefield. The waning effectiveness of antibiotics as we head into what may seem like a post-antibiotic era has impelled new reformation to at the very least control antibiotic usage to ensure food safety.
Protein Quantitation Workflows using the TripleTOF 6600: A Case Study for Rituximab
Although the triple-stage quadrupole (QQQ) mass spectrometer remains the pillar for quantitative LC-MS/MS bioanalytical assays, due in part to the platforms’ high duty cycle when operated in multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, the applicability of high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has become of increasing importance for protein quantitation given the complexity of proteolytically digested samples in the surrogate peptide approach. While the QQQ demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity, the relatively low-resolution measurement of m/z may fail to differentiate analyte response from nominally isobaric background interference. In contrast, HRMS with accurate mass assignment of product ion allows interference to be resolved through judicious selection of a post-acquisition mass extraction window whose tolerance is largely dictated by the effective resolution and stability of mass calibration.
Rise of the Super Bugs
The term “antibiotic-free” is becoming more and more popular in food advertising these days. Take Subway for example; in March the company elevated their antibiotic-free policy and introduced a new antibiotic-free rotisserie-style chicken sub, and they plan to, “Nix antibiotics in all its meat by 2025.”