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...
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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.
Solving the Mystery of Forensic Quantitative Analysis
Why You Need Differential Mobility Spectrometry for Forensic Mass Spec Analysis Forensics depend on detection of even the smallest compounds to deliver results you can rely on. You need fast analysis methods that provide highly accurate data across a multitude of...
Calling all Bioanalysts: We’re Making Bioanalytical Selectivity Challenges History
High selectivity is a key component of successful quantitative bioanalysis. As a bioanalyst, we need consistently accurate and robust quantitation of small molecule therapeutics and metabolites. Challenged by complicated matrix interferences, high baseline signal, and...
The Latest and Greatest for Improving Lipidomic Analysis by Mass Spectrometry
Differential Mobility Separation (DMS) resolves multiple lipid classes within complex lipid matrices prior to MS analysis to enable more confident identification of lipid species and more accurate quantitation by MS/MS. Lipidomics research has progressed rapidly in...
Out with the “If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix it” Approach. In with Remote Monitoring.
Often by the time you’re aware of a problem, it’s too late, and disaster has already struck. You’re forced to pick up the pieces—downtime, reduced productivity and lost data. When your PC goes down, IT comes to the rescue. That’s a reactive approach. In many cases, IT...
Increase your Lab’s ROI with Remote Monitoring Service for SCIEX LC-MS Systems
Like most organizations, your lab is likely thinking about ways to reduce costs and maximize profits.If so, keep in mind that no matter your area of research, sample volume or locations, remote monitoring services can make a difference in yearly maintenance...
SWATH Acquisition: A Step Closer to Unravelling the Opioid Puzzle
Drug overdose has become one of the leading causes of death of Americans under 50. If that’s not bad enough, let’s put this into perspective. America makes up only 4% of the world population. In 2015, it recorded 52,400 drug-related deaths, which is about 27% of the...
Greater uptime equals higher productivity
In the old days, if you wanted to monitor your lab’s data, you would either remain by your instrument as long as it took to complete the sample run or dial-in via a telephone modem. Neither option, however, offered much in the way of enhancing productivity. Today’s...
Simplifying Polar Pesticides Within a Single Analysis
Glyphosate is a polar pesticide widely used as a garden herbicide. It is an ingredient in the world’s bestselling weed killer, which farmers consider one of their best solutions to their super weed problems. However, the chemical has become one of the most...
5 Applications That Benefit from a New Dimension in Selectivity
Mass spectrometry can provide exceptional sensitivity, selectivity, resolution, throughput, and mass accuracy, but certain applications demand additional levels of selectivity. This is where differential ion mobility technology comes in. It delivers highly-selective,...
Screening Food for Allergens Using LC-MS/MS Analysis
Browse the shelves of any grocery store, and you may get a false sense of security when it comes to ingredient lists. As much as consumers want to trust labels, the truth is, food products could contain mislabelled ingredients, such that they trigger an allergic reaction with serious detrimental effects including discomfort, pain sickness and in some instances, death. Manufacturers, however, do not want to risk their reputation and consumer safety over a false label. As such, there must be some sort of verification to support such an action
4 Reasons Why Your Lab Needs Remote Monitoring
You know the drill, lab managers are always seeking new solutions to keep their labs running at peak performance and instrument or system disruptions can be detrimental. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to connect to your lab from anywhere securely and to stay ahead of potential instrument problems? By using remote monitoring, labs are now able to respond to issues quickly and efficiently, productively reducing downtime.
Testing for a Variety of Bath Salts is a Necessity for Forensic Labs
To date, when it comes to testing urine or oral fluids in the workplace not all psychoactive substances can be detected due to evolving substitutions. As legislation changes, so too do chemical formulations. Therefore researchers, like the authors of the following publication, A Validated Method for the Detection of 32 Bath Salts in Oral Fluids, published by Oxford Academic, analyze compounds using the best available methods so they can cast a wider net.
Empowering Your Lab with a Proactive Approach
Do you stay in the lab day and night, waiting for a sample run to finish? Or do you set your instrument to run and trust that it will operate as intended while you are away? Is there a way you can have a support network behind you to help to ensure the smooth operation of your instruments?
Vitamin D Analysis Made Simple
Last month, Dr. Phil Levy, a clinician, professor, and researcher at Wayne State University, was invited to SCIEX to lecture on ‘Vitamin D Measurement and Implications for Patient Care.’ His message was simple and very clear: Vitamin D testing is here to stay!
What does World Food Day Mean to Food Scientists?
Did you know that the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), celebrates its founding each year on October 16 with World Food Day? You can explore their theme and commitment to ending hunger by 2030 here. As part of their, “Ten Facts You Need to Know about Hunger,” perhaps you may find it interesting that, “The world will need to grow 60 percent more food by 2050 to feed the growing population.”
Transform the Analytical Power of Your SCIEX Mass Spec with SelexION Technology
If you are working with complex assays that demand exceptionally selective quantitative and qualitative performance, sometimes even the most powerful LC-MS/MS technology can’t always cut it alone.
Fipronil Contamination in Eggs Update
Since my last blog, there has been an ongoing investigation into the widespread impact of contaminated egg products. According to The Grocer, 26 more egg foods were pulled from shelves in the fipronil scandal, bringing the total number to 69 products....
5 Ways That SelexION Technology Will Address Your Biggest Analytical Challenges
If you are a scientist working with complex assays, finding a way to significantly improve selectivity of detection could solve some of your biggest analytical headaches. Are we right? If so, then you are in the right place. If you are confronted with assay...
Why is Metabolomics Important and How is it Enabling Precision Medicine?
Why is metabolomics important?
Metabolomics is the large-scale study of metabolites in biofluids, tissue extracts, or organisms. Metabolites are small (<1000 Da), biologically active molecules such as glucose, cholesterol, creatinine, hormones, lipids, and more.
Training Program for Today’s Food and Beverage Testing Lab
Is your lab looking to acquire methods for food testing? What about getting better acquainted on the SCIEX Triple Quad™ or QTRAP® mass spectrometers to learn quantitation better? The following SCIEXUniversity Success Program training courses not only cover food and beverage quantitation but offer application training on topics such as meat speciation testing and pesticide analysis. Especially important considering the latest Fipronil contamination in eggs.I want to sign up for courses >