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What is Multi Attribute Methodology (MAM)?

Q&A with Sean McCarthy Global Market Manager, Biologics, SCIEX MAM is an acronym for Multiple Attribute Method. In short, MAM is a method which may be applied for characterization of a biotherapeutic to understand its sequence, identify liabilities, identify...

Cannabis is Legal in Canada – How Did We Get Here?

The First in a Three-Part Series Welcome to the first 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. The Canadian cannabis market has taken the plunge...

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.

Guide decisions during cell line development with more information at the intact level

Guide decisions during cell line development with more information at the intact level

Monitoring product quality attributes (PQAs) throughout monoclonal antibody (mAb) development is vital to ensuring drug safety and efficacy. By adopting orthogonal analytical techniques and integrating new technologies that have the potential to provide more information, it is possible to improve product quality and manufacturing efficiency and make more informed decisions.

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...

Full, partial and empty capsid ratios for AAV analysis: What’s the big deal?

Full, partial and empty capsid ratios for AAV analysis: What’s the big deal?

For many of you working to develop gene therapy drugs, you know that the time to market the drug is critical. Because gene therapeutics cure diseases by targeting specific genes, it is a constant race to see who develops the drug first. Unlike other classes of drugs where multiple medications can be used to treat a disease, whoever is first to develop a gene therapy drug wins.

Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Drinking Water – EPA Method 537

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

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

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.

Rapid Characterization of Biologics using CESI-MS

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.

Guardians of Antibiotics

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

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

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.”

Using Mass Spec to Detect Trace Explosives

Using Mass Spec to Detect Trace Explosives

The importance of protecting a country’s border is a very topical issue. The war on drugs and terror is a 24/7 task 366 days a year (2016 is a leap year). The government agencies in charge must be vigilant and maintain instrumentation to prevent terrorism, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities. Mass Spectrometry is rapidly becoming the instrument of choice for border agencies throughout the world when it comes to explosive trace detection and forensic drug compounds.

Routine Food Testing Using Mass Spectrometry

Routine Food Testing Using Mass Spectrometry

These days, it is not uncommon to hear about the overzealous application of pesticides to crops or the injection of antibiotics into animals. From grocery stores to restaurants, our food is at risk. How then, can consumers be assured that chemical contaminants like these , not to mention the risk of mycotoxin compounds are not making their way to your dinner table?

Quantify and Identify Pesticides in Complex Food Samples Using the QTRAP 6500 LC-MS/MS System

Quantify and Identify Pesticides in Complex Food Samples Using the QTRAP 6500 LC-MS/MS System

Recent regulations on food analysis require screening for pesticides using confirmatory techniques, such as GC-MS and LC-MS/MS. More than 1000 pesticides are used worldwide and, along with their metabolites and degradation products, are present in food. There is a demand for powerful and rapid analytical methods that can identify pesticides with high confidence in a broad range of food matrices and quantify at low concentrations with good accuracy and reproducibility. Challenges for pesticide residue laboratories at the moment are the request to test for more compounds, in a wider range of samples, all without sacrificing data quality.

Characterize and Monitor Host Cell Proteins (HCPs) Using SWATH Acquisition Technology

Characterize and Monitor Host Cell Proteins (HCPs) Using SWATH Acquisition Technology

During drug development, the removal of impurities and purification of a final drug product is absolutely essential in order to ensure the safety and efficacy of a therapeutic drug. Of particular concern for biologics are impurities that can stem from host cell proteins. Because biologics are developed through cell culture and fermentation within a host cell, proteins from this host cell can be co-purified with the final biologic. These host cell proteins or HCPs can cause the final product to have undesired side-effects such as eliciting an immune response in patients taking the drug, or affecting the drug’s stability or efficacy. As a result, regulating agencies require drug companies to monitor levels of HCPs during the development and purification of a biologic and to remove HCPs to an acceptable level in the final biotherapeutic product.

Simplifying Biologics Bioanalysis Sample Prep

Simplifying Biologics Bioanalysis Sample Prep

These days, everyone seems to be furiously scratching tickets to become instant winners, but I’ll bet you didn’t expect to find sample prep tips that way. For large molecule bioanalysis, preparing your samples can be one of the biggest challenges. It’s a whole different world from traditional small molecule bioanalysis. SCIEX has developed techniques and automation that make biologics sample prep simpler and faster, with reproducible results.

The Connection Between Mass Spectrometry and Space Exploration

The Connection Between Mass Spectrometry and Space Exploration

Mass spectrometry has been used for some pretty fascinating applications in our world – like testing for steroid use in athletes1, measuring pesticides in grapes2, assessing the efficiency of a psoriasis drug3, and whether that expensive bottle of 100% olive oil is, well, really 100% olive oil.4 But did you know mass spec is also used out of this world? Like… in space?

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