Researchers Develop New Method for Drug Testing
US researchers have developed a new LC-MS-MS method of detecting if athletes have taken drugs to artificially boost testosterone and increase physical performance.
US researchers have developed a new LC-MS-MS method that is more senstive for detecting if athletes have taken drugs to artificially boost testosterone and increase physical performance. Previous testing methods used GC-MS to compare the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone and determine if performance enhancing drugs were taken. However, measuring the T/E concentrations is difficult due to the low levels present in urine.
According to the lead researcher, Dr Jonathan Danaceau of the University of Utah, the new method "means that we can determine the T/E ratio in a sample with greater confidence, and therefore be in a better position to spot doping violations without falsely accusing innocent athletes."
LC–MS/MS Quantification of Plasma Proteins in Elephant Seals to Advance Wildlife Conservation
November 12th 2024Liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was used to show that repeated stress can cause delayed but sustained changes in blood plasma proteins associated with water conservation, immune responses, fat metabolism, insulin sensitivity, iron recycling, and hormone transport in elephant seals. Some of these changes may be novel markers of recent and chronic stress exposure in marine mammals.
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.
