The LCGC Blog: Nontraditional Research Funding: More than One Way to Skin a Cat
November 8th 2016As I wrote the title of this month’s installment, I could not help but wonder where the cliché “more than one way to skin a cat” came from. Turns out it is from Mark Twain in his 1889 work, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. I have never read that book, but I certainly have heard this saying used more than once-even if it might offend some cat lovers. Of course, it means simply that there is more than one way to do something.
Verhaak Receives Agilent Early Career Professor Award
November 7th 2016Agilent Technologies Inc. has named Roeland G.W. Verhaak, of the Jackson Laboratory (JAX), the winner of the company’s Early Career Professor Award. Verhaak was selected for his contributions to the implementation of transcriptomics, genomics, and big-data analysis to the classification and diagnosis of various cancer types.
Toxic Metal Characterization in Tattoo Ink
November 7th 2016Researchers from Postnova Analytics, Landsberg, Germany, have developed a quantitative method to detect traces of toxic metals in tattoo ink using asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation in combination with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (AF4-ICP-MS).
The LCGC Blog: An Indisputable Case of Matrix Effects in Blood Alcohol Determinations
November 7th 2016Kevin A. Schug reveals the major method validation protocol deficiencies he discovered when he reviewed a blood alcohol investigation and discusses how matrix effects possibly resulted in blood alcohol concentrations being over-estimated, resulting in a potentially significant injustice.
Determination of Very Low-Abundance Diagnostic Proteins in Serum Using Immuno-Capture LC–MS/MS
November 1st 2016The use of antibodies in “bottom-up” LC–MS workflows to determine low abundant biological active proteins in complex human samples has increased in recent years: immuno-capture analysis combines the workflow of conventional immunological assays with LC–MS analysis. This paper describes typical challenges, such as cross reactivity and the mass spectrometer’s dynamic range, as well as the advantages of isoform differentiation and multiplexing. Additionally, some experimental formats of immuno-capture bottom-up LC–MS analysis of biological active proteins in complex human samples will be discussed.
Separation of Amino Acid Enantiomers Using Capillary Electrophoresis with a New Chiral Ligand
November 1st 2016A chiral ionic liquid, namely 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazole L-tartrate ([EMIM][L-Tar]), was applied as a new chiral ligand for the separation of tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine enantiomers by chiral ligand exchange capillary electrophoresis (CE). To validate the unique behaviour of [EMIM][L-Tar], the performance of L-tartaric acid and 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazole L-proline as chiral ligands was investigated to make a comparison with [EMIM][L-Tar]. Then the separation mechanism was further discussed. It was proven that [EMIM][L-Tar] was a good chiral ligand and would have good application prospects in separation science.
Supporting Bioanalysis with Dried Blood Spots
November 1st 2016Blood is perhaps the most widely used sample fluid in bioanalysis. Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling has been used in clinical applications for more than 50 years, but it is recently seeing a resurgence of interest. DBS sampling holds several advantages associated with the use of small sample sizes obtained via finger pricks, including simplicity and biohazard reduction. In the previous instalment, we gave an overview of microsampling in bioanalysis (1). This month, we dig deeper into bioanalysis using DBS sampling.