Best of the Week: J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Detecting Water Pollutants with ML, Lavender’s Effects on Tumors
This week, LCGC International published a variety of articles on trending topics in separation science. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the most popular articles, according to our readers. Happy reading!
Top Execs from Agilent, Waters, and Bruker Take the Stage at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
Aaron Acevedo
The 43rd Annual Healthcare J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference kicked off in San Francisco, California earlier this week. Notable executives from analytical science companies were invited to speak during the event, including executives from Agilent, Waters, and Bruker. Udit Batra, Waters President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), spoke during a fireside chat on the conference on Monday, January 13. The company highlighted its contributions to regulated markets, such as pharmaceuticals, food and the environment, and renewable energy materials. Agilent CEO Padraig McDonnell and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Bob McMahon presented at the conference on Tuesday, January 14. In addition to serving laboratories across 110 countries, McDonnell also highlighted the company’s recent reorganization, dividing into Life Sciences & Diagnostics Group (LDG), an Applied Markets Group (AMG), and the Agilent CrossLab Group, which will focus on providing consumables and services while also working on software and laboratory automation. Frank Laukien, Chairman and CEO of Bruker Corporation, also spoke at the conference on January 13. Laukien highlighted the company’s 70% cumulative revenue growth in the last four years (now making their value over $3.3 billion in revenue).
Using Machine Learning to Aid in the Detection of Water Pollutants
Kate Jones
The proliferation of organic pollutants—stemming from industrial, agricultural, and domestic activities—poses significant challenges because of their persistence, toxicity, and potential for bioaccumulation. The current methods for detecting these pollutants, such as high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC–HRMS), are not without their limitations. Identifying pollutants based on their elemental composition is complicated by the vast number of potential structures, making structural identification a complex task, especially when authentic standards are unavailable. In a study aimed at tackling the global water quality crisis, researchers from Ghent University, the University of Zagreb, the University of São Paulo, and Dow Benelux developed a machine-learning algorithm to improve the identification of small organic pollutants in water. This approach offers a cost-effective, eco-friendly solution to a problem that is particularly acute in developing countries, where access to safe drinking water is often compromised by persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
Measuring Lavender Essential Oil’s Effect on Cancerous Tumors with GC–MS
John Chasse
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most prevalent and lethal form of brain cancer in adults, with only modest improvements in survival rates over the past thirty years. While the current treatments for GBM include extensive surgical resection followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide (TMZ), these have shown limited success in preventing the progression and infiltration of tumors. A recent joint study between the Department of Biosciences and Territory at the University of Molise (Pesche, Italy) and the IRCCS Neuromed Mediterranean Neurological Institute (Pozzilli, Italy) investigated the effects of lavender essential oil (LEO) on a GBM cell model, with chemical characterization using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis.
Investigating Phenolic Content in Walnut Milk Residue with UHPLC–ESI-MS/MS
John Chasse
Found in different forms depending on their association with the food matrix, phenolic compounds are free, esterified, and etherified soluble phenolics as well as insoluble-bound phenolics. An edible nut of high nutritional value, walnut (Juglans regia L.) is mainly composed of unsaturated fatty acids, proteins, dietary fiber, minerals, and B-complex vitamins, in addition to vitamin E (tocopherols) and phytosterols. Walnuts also contain significant amounts of compounds of a phenolic nature which have shown potential beneficial effects on human health against chronic non-communicable diseases mediated by oxidative stress (including some types of cancer, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases) and neurodegenerative diseases due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity in in vitro and in vivo studies. Scientists from the University of Chile (Santiago), the University of Almería (Spain), and University of Alberta (Edmonton) characterized the soluble (free, esterified, and etherified) phenolics and insoluble-bound phenolic hydrolysates (IBPH) fractions of walnut milk residues (WMR).
Detecting Fraudulent Substances Using Flow Injection Analysis–Mass Spectrometry
Aaron Acevedo
Coleus forskohlii is a perennial plant of the Lamiaceae family that is commonly used in traditional Indian medicine forits anti-obesity, antioxidant, and analgesic properties, among others. The root of this plant is rich in bioactive compounds, such as labdane-type diterpenes, and in particular forskolin. C. forskohlii extracts are currently widely marketed as herbal dietary supplements for obesity control. Although herbal food supplements are perceived as a safe and natural alternative to chemical products for promoting health benefits, they have also been the target of several fraudulent practices. Recently, Spanish scientists used flow injection analysis–mass spectrometry (FIA–MS) to detect fraudulent substances in C. forskohlii food supplements.
Top Execs from Agilent, Waters, and Bruker Take the Stage at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
January 16th 2025The 43rd Annual Healthcare J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference kicked off in San Francisco earlier this week. Here’s what top executives from Agilent, Bruker, and Waters, discussed during the event.
Analytical Challenges in Measuring Migration from Food Contact Materials
November 2nd 2015Food contact materials contain low molecular weight additives and processing aids which can migrate into foods leading to trace levels of contamination. Food safety is ensured through regulations, comprising compositional controls and migration limits, which present a significant analytical challenge to the food industry to ensure compliance and demonstrate due diligence. Of the various analytical approaches, LC-MS/MS has proved to be an essential tool in monitoring migration of target compounds into foods, and more sophisticated approaches such as LC-high resolution MS (Orbitrap) are being increasingly used for untargeted analysis to monitor non-intentionally added substances. This podcast will provide an overview to this area, illustrated with various applications showing current approaches being employed.
SPE-Based Method for Detecting Harmful Textile Residues
January 14th 2025University of Valencia scientists recently developed a method using solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC–HRMS/MS) for detecting microplastics and other harmful substances in textiles.
