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...
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.
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,...
Maximize the use of your software. Buy only what you need
The latest releases of Analyst Software 1.7 and SCIEX OS Software 1.4 introduce a new licensing model called concurrent licensing. If you want flexibility and cost savings when purchasing and using your processing software, concurrent licensing is for you. How does...
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.
3 Reasons to Upgrade to Analyst Software 1.7
Would you be surprised to know that the SCIEX QTRAP® and Triple Quad™ mass spectrometry systems are ideally suited to meet the needs of any lab? Even more so as new orders will ship with our flagship Analyst® Software 1.7. The software is the single LC-MS/MS software,...
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.
On Demand Videos from the 2017 Global CESI-MS Symposium
The 2017 Global CESI-MS Symposium brought together KOLs and industry innovators from around the world to share their latest advancements using capillary electrophoresis integrated with electrospray ionization (CESI-MS) within the same device.
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...
Multi-Laboratory Study Highlights the Quantitative Reproducibility of SWATH Acquisition (Nature Communications Paper)
Reproducibility is one of the key tenets of the scientific method. But in a recent survey published in Nature, more than 70% of researchers were not able to reproduce another scientist’s experiments, and more than half could not reproduce their own experiments1. While the reasons for this are many, at least some of them stem from issues inherent in data collection.
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 >
Phthalates Are Out, Accurate Detection Using LC-MS/MS Technology Is In
Whether you like it or not, the plastics industry is a growing market. According to an Allied Market Research report, it was valued at $15,179 million in 2015 and is projected to reach $18,538 million by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 2.9% from 2016 to 20221. Additionally, according to the report, in 2015, phthalates type held two-thirds of the global market in 2015. An important statistic since the use of various phthalates is restricted in many countries because of health concerns2.
SCIEX Lands HUPO Science and Technology Award
We are pleased to congratulate its research scientists Stephen Tate and Ron Bonner (retired) for being awarded this year’s Science and Technology award at HUPO 2017 in Dublin Ireland. The Science and Technology Award at HUPO recognizes an individual or team who were key in the commercialization of a technology, product, or procedure that advances proteomics research
Forensics Made Easy
Mass spectrometry techniques are now commonplace for high throughput quantitation and screening, but also for research and discovery for food safety, forensics, environmental testing, and a host of other applications. The demands of these settings are different from traditional research, requiring MS systems which combine robust and reliable operation with straightforward day-to-day processing. The SCIEX X500R QTOF System has been developed specifically to meet these needs and is now helping to streamline the workflow of Zurich’s Institute of Forensic Medicine.
3 Workflows Designed to Accelerate Your Biologics Characterization
Biopharmaceutical development is booming and now an integral part of many pharmaceutical company pipelines. While these emerging biologics present exciting opportunities for the industry, their sophistication is challenging the limits of characterization at all stages of discovery and development.