The Application Notebook
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a worldwide contamination problem. Structurally similar to polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), these compounds are long-lived in the environment and can bioaccumulate throughout the food chain. The health hazards of these chemicals have attracted increasing scrutiny and, as such, a great deal of research and regulations have been implemented to manage and control them.
Brett Holmes and Michael Ebitson, Horizon Technology, Inc.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a worldwide contamination problem. Structurally similar to polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), these compounds are long-lived in the environment and can bioaccumulate throughout the food chain. The health hazards of these chemicals have attracted increasing scrutiny and, as such, a great deal of research and regulations have been implemented to manage and control them.
PBDEs have been used in a wide array of products, including building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor vehicles, airplanes, plastics, polyurethane foams, and textiles. Although many harmful PBDE congeners have been banned throughout the United States, many may still be present in equipment used today. As an international concern, the European Union has also banned multiple PBDE formulates, such as penta- and octa-BDE formulates, because of their persistence and ability to bioaccumulate within the environment.
The purpose of this investigation and method development was to establish a new procedure for the determination of PBDE congeners in aqueous samples ranging from the low ng/L (ppt) range, with a minimum of organic solvent consumption, while also conforming to the European Union standards.
With assistance from the Italian Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque (IRSA), a fast and rigorous sample extraction and clean-up technique was developed that is selective for PBDEs. This was accomplished by optimizing a solid-phase extraction (SPE) disk method based on the Horizon Technology SPE-DEX® 4790 Automated Extractor System. The sample preparation step is an essential element of this method development, and as such, the advancement of an automated extraction and clean-up process has resulted in less solvent use, elimination of the solvent exchange step, reduced glassware use, faster extraction time, and more consistent and reproducible results. Table 1 shows results from spikes into reagent water extracted with SPE, showing excellent recovery and reproducibility. Additional work with river water is shown in the full note.
Reference
Horizon Technology, Inc.
16 Northwestern Drive, Salem, NH 03079 USA
Tel.: +1 603 893 3663 Fax: +1 603 893 4994
E-mail: spe@horizontechinc.com
Website: www.horizontechinc.com
AI and GenAI Applications to Help Optimize Purification and Yield of Antibodies From Plasma
October 31st 2024Deriving antibodies from plasma products involves several steps, typically starting from the collection of plasma and ending with the purification of the desired antibodies. These are: plasma collection; plasma pooling; fractionation; antibody purification; concentration and formulation; quality control; and packaging and storage. This process results in a purified antibody product that can be used for therapeutic purposes, diagnostic tests, or research. Each step is critical to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of the final product. Applications of AI/GenAI in many of these steps can significantly help in the optimization of purification and yield of the desired antibodies. Some specific use-cases are: selecting and optimizing plasma units for optimized plasma pooling; GenAI solution for enterprise search on internal knowledge portal; analysing and optimizing production batch profitability, inventory, yields; monitoring production batch key performance indicators for outlier identification; monitoring production equipment to predict maintenance events; and reducing quality control laboratory testing turnaround time.