Best of the Week: HRMS in Drug Development, Hot Topics in GC, and More

This week, LCGC International published a variety of articles on the hottest topics in chromatography. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the most popular articles, according to our readers. Happy reading!

AOAC International Awarded NIST Grant for Developing Drug Testing Standards

Aaron Acevedo

On October 25, AOAC International announced that it has received a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) grant for development of testing standards for illicit drugs, including fentanyl, xylazine, and nitazenes. This grant will be part of a new collaborative scientific initiative to address the need for standards that define the desired performance of lateral flow immunoassay test strips to detect illicit drugs in tablets and powders. The test strips will fill a need for field-use rapid testing capabilities. AOAC plans to use its collaborative process in concert with NIST scientists and a panel of experts to create voluntary consensus standards to meet this need as part of the one-year grant.

HRMS in Drug Development: An Interview with Nicholas Ingram of IQVIA Laboratories

Caroline Hroncich, Aaron Acevedo

High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is a technique that provides the highest precision in measuring molecules’ mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio. HRMS can discriminate compounds with the same nominal mass by precisely measuring their specific mass defects. This technique is valuable for identifying compounds and analyzing complex samples in research settings. LCGC International recently sat down with Nicholas Ingram, the method development and validation group leader for regulated work at IQVIA Laboratories’ bioanalytical lab in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ingram spoke about research he presented earlier this year at the AAPS Summer Scientific Forum on utilizing HRMS to identify and overcome interferences, monitor ex-vivo reactions, and to push detection limits. He also discussed his research using HRMS as a tool for targeted stabilization and improved LLOD.

Using GC to Investigate Nerve Agent Presence on Indoor Surfaces

John Chasse

A key technique in the investigation of nerve agents, gas chromatography (GC) is a well-established application for analysts both on site and conducting forensic assays in the laboratory. Furthermore, GC offers analysts the ability to identify non-volatile decomposition products of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) following their derivatization to improve volatility or enhance their analytical properties. Recently, LCGC International spoke to Tomáš Rozsypal of the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Institute of the University of Defence (Vyskov, Czech Republic) about his work utilizing gas chromatography in researching the persistence of A-234 nerve agent on indoor surfaces, and the paper that resulted from it.

The Critical Role of Chromatography in Addressing Urban Air Pollution

Will Wetzel

Chromatographic techniques have been used judiciously to track air pollution and its sources more effectively. These techniques are being used to solve a global issue that is negatively impacting many cities around the world. Thanks to rapid industrialization, vehicle emissions, and inadequate or nonexistent environmental regulations, cities such as Cairo, Beijing, and Delhi, among others, contain an abundance of harmful pollutants in their air that their citizens breathe in on a regular basis.

Identifying and Rectifying the Misuse of Retention Indices in Gas Chromatography

Alasdair Matheson

Recently, Phil Marriot and Humberto Bizzo published, “Use and Abuse of Retention Indices in Gas Chromatography,” which focuses on an aspect of gas chromatography that is used incorrectly. LCGC International spoke to Marriott and Bizzo about a recent paper they published identifying the incorrect use of retention indices in gas chromatography and how this problem can be rectified in practice.