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...
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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...
Detecting low levels of drugs and their metabolites in hair and nail samples using LC-MS/MS
You probably have heard of testing blood and urine samples for the presence of drugs and their metabolites. But do you know about the benefits of hair and nail analysis? In a recent webinar, Tina Binz, Deputy Head of the Center for Forensic Hair Analysis, University of Zurich, discussed the benefits of developing comprehensive and sensitive LC-MS/MS for the detection of low-level drugs and metabolites in keratinized matrices.
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.
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.
Maximize NPS analysis with accurate mass spectrometry
LC-MS/MS is a powerful analytical tool in forensic toxicology testing that can support a variety of testing regimes such as screening, confirmation and quantitative workflows. More specifically, analysis of NPS using LC-MS/MS provides many advantages, including the ability to reliably detect new drugs and their metabolites from a variety of biological matrices.
Metabolite identification and peace of mind
Managing metabolite identification (Met ID) studies is challenging, so what is at the top of your priority list as you plan the year ahead? Ensuring you have the data needed to manage product safety, meeting deadlines, staff recruitment and training, maintaining compliance, capital expenses, or something else?
What has the Echo® MS system done for the pharma industry? (And don’t just take our word for it!)
SCIEX was very proud to have an illustration of the Acoustic Ejection Mass Spectrometry (AEMS) technology that powers the Echo® MS system on the front cover of the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry in January 2023. The associated article—Ultrahigh-Throughput Intact Protein Analysis with Acoustic Ejection Mass Spectrometry—was co-authored by scientists from SCIEX and Merck.
Methods for OPI electrode cleaning for Echo® MS system electrodes
Depending on the samples you are running on the system, it is possible for the Open Port Interface (OPI) electrode to become dirty or occluded over time. Below are two different cleaning strategies that can help you maintain your Echo® MS system and keep your OPI...
Rescheduling a Schedule I substance, and the Delta-8 controversy
Did you know that in the US, drugs and other chemicals are classified into 5 distinct categories depending on the drug’s acceptable medical use and its potential for abuse or dependency? Drugs federally classified as Schedule I substances by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are considered to have the highest potential for abuse and for creating severe psychological and/or physical dependence. In addition to heroin, LSD and MDMA (ecstasy), cannabis is classified as a Schedule I substance in the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, which means it has no approved medical usage.
sMRM Pro Builder template tutorial
The sMRM Pro Builder template is an Excel-based tool that can help you implement large panels of analytes in your lab. The Excel sheet will take your preliminary experimental results and compute retention times, retention time window widths and dwell time weighting to optimize your targeted assay.
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,...
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...
Echo MS system maintenance operations
The Echo® MS system is a robust platform, and like any other platform, requires some routine maintenance on a regular basis. Here are 3 maintenance steps that can help you ensure consistent, reliable performance: Immediately before use or after switching carrier...
Standard front-end cleaning for TripleTOF systems
General points: Use of laboratory deionized (DI) water is specified at points in the procedure. However, if there are any concerns regarding quality, please utilize a reputable supplier of pure deionized water (>18.2M ohm). 5-10 liters will typically be required...
Stay informed on the latest novel psychoactive substances (NPS) flooding the US drug market
Each year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Testing and Research Laboratory publishes an Emerging Threat Report. The data contained in the report is updated quarterly and represents a snapshot of the drug evidence seized and analyzed by the DEA in the...
Computing protein confidence with improved accuracy by reassessing peptide confidence during protein grouping
ProteinPilot software 4.0 and higher releases include a new method for calculating protein confidences that improves reliability at the end of protein lists. Figure 1 shows a simulated example that demonstrates how more accurate protein confidence is computed. Figure...
What’s in your citrus oil?
Craig Butt explains a non-targeted omics approach to characterizing and profiling compounds in citrus oil Read time: 4 minutes There is increasing interest among consumers in the benefits of natural products containing citrus beyond the traditionally known benefits of...
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...
The top 5 questions to ask when investing in accurate mass technology for forensic toxicology workflows
Are you considering the purchase of a high-resolution accurate mass (HRAM) instrument for your forensic toxicology lab? To help ensure you invest in a solution that ideally meets your needs, ask yourself the following key questions. 1. How do I ensure my results...
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...
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.
Accurate mass LC-MS/MS for PFAS analysis without needing a blockbuster budget
If you’ve been following our recent blogs, you’ve probably seen quite a bit on how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are shaking up both the food and environmental industry. Even if you’ve not been following our blogs, you’ve probably seen a lot of media...
A rising star in food allergen research: proteomics of shellfish allergen
It’s important to know what you’re eating, especially if you suffer from a food allergy.
About 220 million people worldwide live with a food allergy.1 These numbers, along with the complexity and severity of conditions, continue to rise. In America, there are about 32 million food allergy sufferers—5.6 million of those are children under the age of 18.2.2 That’s 1 out of every 13 children, or about 2 in every classroom. From a financial perspective, the cost of food allergy childcare for US families is up to $25 billion
Routine cannabis screening is here. Will your lab reap the benefits?
Fast, accurate, and robust solution for routine commercial cannabis testing
As the world debates cannabis legalization for therapeutic applications and recreational use, the trends are shifting. Medicinal use of cannabis is legal in an increasing number of countries worldwide, including 33 states and the District of Columbia in the United States. Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalize the sale, cultivation, and distribution of cannabis in 2013. In the United States, Washington and Colorado were the first to fully legalize cannabis in 2012. By the end of 2019, 10 states have legalized recreational use for adults over the age of 21, with 64% of Americans favoring the move
Keep up with fentanyl and its analogs: Failure to do so is not an option.
Fentanyl is one of the most well-known synthetic opioids that has been in the spotlight lately—and not for good reasons. The World Drug Report 2019 reveals that there have been more than 47,000 opioid overdose deaths in the United States in 2017. This is an increase...