This excel sheet allows you to quickly estimate the MRM concurrency and approximate dwell time for your Scheduled MRM Algorithm acquisition method. Paste your MRM method with retention times into the input tab then calculate the Excel workbook. Plots will update to...
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Celebrating customer experience: Insights from SCIEX leaders
Introduction Customer Experience Day (CX Day) is a special occasion for SCIEX, celebrated every first Tuesday in October. It’s a day dedicated to recognizing the incredible value of our customers and the relentless dedication of our associates who strive to make...
LC-MS system replacement: Are you ready?
Meeting deadlines in a bioanalysis laboratory can be a big challenge. Older, less sensitive and less reliable LC-MS systems make it even more difficult. Even the disruption caused by the installation and validation can be disconcerting and delay decisions. Does this sound familiar?
Questions and answers to help improve your mycotoxin analysis
During a recent webinar I shared method details for mycotoxin analysis on the SCIEX 7500 system. In this blog i will share the Q&A for the submitted questions that we did not have chance to answer during the live webinar.
Optimized rolling collision energy curves for IDA and SWATH DIA for peptides
During data dependent acquisition (DDA or IDA) or SWATH acquisition, the collision energy can be automatically adjusted according to the mass/charge and charge of the peptide. This dependency has been well characterized on our QTOF systems. By selecting rolling...
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.
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...
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.
sMRM Concurrency Calculator
This excel sheet allows you to quickly estimate the MRM concurrency and approximate dwell time for your Scheduled MRM Algorithm acquisition method. Paste your MRM method with retention times into the input tab then calculate the Excel workbook. Plots will update to...
The risky business of aflatoxins in milk
If you’re in the dairy or food testing business, you know the threat aflatoxins pose. Aflatoxins are a type of mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus parasiticus, aspergillus flavus , and rarely aspergillus nomius.1 These are likely the most extensively researched group of mycotoxins because of their adverse health effects.2 What’s more, they are widely found in a variety of crops, namely maize, tree nuts, and spices. Believed to be primarily caused by rising temperatures and humidity, these naturally occurring fungi grow on crops in the field, or during storage of feed and raw materials, where they can potentially produce toxins that enter the food chain.
Your 3 most googled queries about cannabis testing answered
I did some digging on Google and decided to help answer the top 3 most searched queries about cannabis testing methods and technology, for both marijuana and hemp. 1. What equipment should I use to test my cannabis and hemp samples for mycotoxins,...
Boar taint isn’t so simple
The title says it all. Boar taint is a complex subject. For some, it’s not an issue. Others argue that it’s one of the biggest challenges to pork quality. It’s a very subjective response. In her blog, Dr. Laura Hancox illustrates the striking difference between the...
A beginner’s instrumentation guide to cannabis analysis
One question I get asked a lot when it comes to cannabis, specifically regarding marijuana and hemp analysis, is: There are so many techniques to choose from, how do I know which one is best? I can’t emphasize enough that the Cannabis sativa plant has a complex...
Worth the Journey – From Immunoassay to LC-MS/MS Adoption
The journey to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) adoption from immunoassay can be complicated, but certainly rewarding. While immunoassay has been considered the default methodology for decades, they can be susceptible to interferences and cross-reactivity, especially for...
Journey to the Center of the Vape – Part 1
The safety of vaping has recently become a topic of concern. The public wants answers about the safety of these products. Health authorities are scrambling to find the cause of the mysterious vaping illness that has been seen in hundreds of cases across the U.S., and...
Top 5 Analytical Challenges for Pesticides in Cannabis
Now that cannabis is legalized in a majority of the United States and Canada, new regulations to help protect consumers lead us to an important question: What are they getting? Here, we'll help provide the answer. Image source: Shayanne Gal/Business Insider Some of...
To Switch or Not to Switch? That is the Question.
Why Polarity Switching Matters The BasicsIn today’s busy analytical laboratories, productivity and high sample throughput are constant demands. More samples need to be analyzed in a shorter timeframe. Laboratories must work to use equipment at its maximum capacity,...
Improving precision
Factors that affect the reproducibility of your assay As scientists, we know our experiments must be reproducible. Without it, there is always doubt as to whether our data interpretations and conclusions are truly sound. With LC-MS/MS quantitative methods, high...
30 years of LC-MS/MS innovation continues
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...
Drugs of Abuse Analysis: How LC-MS/MS Reduced Run Times by 66% and Tripled Throughput
Elevate Performance in Your Forensic Toxicology LabYou only need to skim through the United Nations World Drug Report 2018 to see that drug abuse is escalating. Associated with numerous medical, social, and legal problems, it comes as no surprise that ‘drugs of abuse’...
Same Pesticides, Same Risks, Different Standards
Should we be worried about our health because our produce contains pesticides? The answer very much depends on where in the world you live–or where your food comes from. When it comes to protecting people from harmful pesticide residues in food, standards around the...
3 Advantages of Clinical Mass Spectrometry
Are you thinking about replacing existing immunoassay technology with clinical mass spectrometry? Keep reading to discover how the 3 “S”s will help you make the decision. 1. How does sensitivity play a role? Many of the analytes measured in a clinical chemistry lab...
“There’s Nothing Wrong with a Little Bit of Mold.” WRONG!
Has anyone ever said to you, “There’s nothing wrong with a bit of mold”? No one likes to waste food, and it’s not unusual for people to scrape or pick mold off of foods before eating! Believe it or not, there’s guidance on foods that are (and are not) safe to eat if...
Top 4 reasons to try a SCIEX software subscription
Are you avoiding a software upgrade because of the cost? Just subscribe, sit back, and relax. The majority of SCIEX software solutions are now available as subscription products. For a price that is only 40% of the perpetual license fee, you can get access to more...
Improving Patient Care Through Translational Mass Spectrometry
Featuring: Wake Forest® Baptist Health Steven Wong, Ph.D., DABCC (TC), FACB, Past President AACC, Professor of Pathology, serves as Director of the Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology Core Laboratory and is Co-director of the Clinical and Translational Mass Spectrometry...
Why Mass Spectrometry for Your Clinical Lab?
Aaron Hudson, VP/GM, Clinical Diagnostics, SCIEX Aaron Hudson is Vice President and General Manager, Clinical Diagnostics at SCIEX. Aaron has been with SCIEX for over 17 years, beginning as a Sales Representative, and holding various roles including Director Global...
Bad Leftovers: Antibiotic Residues in Food
We know that antibiotics used to treat livestock can end up in the food we eat. Routine food testing labs are essential for detecting compounds, like these, that can be dangerous to our health. Antibiotic residues include both parent molecules and metabolites left...
Canada’s Focus on Cannabis Quality and Safety Intensifies
The Second in a Three-Part Series Welcome to the second in a series of blogs from the cannabis team at SCIEX, designed to bring you up to speed and put you in the lead of the recently legalized cannabis market in Canada. In the first blog, we introduced the Cannabis...
Looking for Ethanol Metabolites and Barbiturates in Urine? Get the Fast and Sensitive ‘Two Bird, One Stone’ Method
Alcohol is legal and widely available, but it is an intoxicating and addictive substance that can have harmful effects on the human mind and body. It reduces inhibitions and distorts judgment and rational decision making, making it the number one cause of criminal...
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...