Professor Peter Schoenmakers was named Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion on 28 June 2022. He received this honour for his exceptional achievements in the field of analytical chemistry which earned him international recognition and acclaim. Schoenmakers made a career in industry and science, was one of the founders of the national innovation community COAST and put Amsterdam on the map as an expertise centre in the analytical sciences.
The decoration was presented to Peter Schoenmakers by Annette Groot, deputy mayor of the municipality of ‘Dijk en Waard’, after his valedictory speech marking his emeritus status as a professor of ‘Analytical Chemistry and its applications in Forensic Science’.
<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_Royal_Honour_for_Peter_Schoenmakers_Prof_Peter_Schoenmakers_Photo_Jan_Willem_Steenmeijer_Uv_A_208f440794.jpg" alt="University of Amsterdam: Royal Honour for Peter Schoenmakers: Prof. Peter Schoenmakers. Photo: Jan Willem Steenmeijer, UvA"/>
<h4>Unravelling the composition of chemical mixtures</h4>
Peter Schoenmakers has played an important role in developing the principles of chromatography, a separation technique used to unravel mixtures of different substances into their constituent components. Chromatography is considered the &quot;workhorse&quot; of chemical analysis and its applications range from industrial quality analysis to environmental analysis and forensic investigation. Schoenmakers has pioneered the development of comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC×LC), enhancing the separation power from hundreds to thousands of chemical components and of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC), moving from thousands to tens of thousands of components. He has created the concept of spatial three-dimensional liquid chromatography for the separation of a million components, which earned him a prestigious ERC Advanced grant in 2016. This research is ongoing and Schoenmakers will continue to be involved as an emeritus professor.
<h4>An influential scientist</h4>
Schoenmakers was listed several times in the top 10 most influential scientists in his field (The Analytical Scientist Power List) and received many prestigious international awards, notably the Dal Nogare Award (2019) and the Csaba Horváth Memorial Award (2015). In August, he will be presented with the 2022 Award in Chromatography by the American Chemical Society in Chicago. Although Schoenmakers spent only half of his career at the university, he has (co)authored more than 230 scientific publications in leading journals. He supervised the research of 36 PhD students and is an editor for Journal of Chromatography A.
Colleagues praise Schoenmakers&#39; drive to achieve insight and understanding through in-depth research. He also receives much praise for his efforts in the field of academic education. He is an approachable and inspiring professor for his students, and his lectures and presentations excel in both content and entertainment. Schoenmakers inspired many students and was a tireless initiator of talent programs, summer schools and scholarship schemes.
<h4>Analytical Chemistry in the Netherlands</h4>
As a professor, Schoenmakers led the analytical-chemistry team in Amsterdam towards national recognition as a centre of expertise for analytical sciences in The Netherlands. He maintains a very extensive network of international, industrial and academic contacts that he uses to further develop analytical chemistry in the Netherlands. Schoenmakers has been one of the instigators of COAST, the public-private Community of Innovation in Analytical Science and Technology in The Netherlands. As its education director he has created programs to stimulate analytical-science studies, with support for education amounting to more than 300,000 € annually.
<h4>Royal commendation ‘Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion’</h4>
This royal commendation is one of the oldest and highest civil honours in the Netherlands. King Willem I established the Order on 29 September, 1815. Candidates who have made an exceptional contribution to society, especially in science, art, sports and literature, are eligible for this honour.
The valedictory speech of Peter Schoenmakers can be viewed at the <a href="https://webcolleges.uva.nl/Mediasite/Play/947782a92890404486ade32ecf6f9a851d">UvA weblectures website</a>.

Royal Honour for Peter Schoenmakers

The SEparation and Mass spectrometry group (SEMpre) led by Dr Andrea Gargano of the Van &#39;t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences has recently published two articles describing the use of advanced separation methods to study complex mixtures of peptides and proteins.
One paper, authored by PhD candidate Rick van den Hurk, describes an advanced two dimensional LC method. The other, by PhD candidate Ziran Zhai, reports on a nanoflow native ion exchange method. Both represent significant advancements to the toolbox for protein analysis.
<h4>Parallel gradients in 2DLC-HRMS analysis</h4>
Investigating the proteins in biological samples can help understand and identify diseases and improve the effectiveness of medication. To study proteins in these samples, they are typically digested into peptides and subsequently analyzed. The paper of Van den Hurk and coworkers describes the use of parallel gradients in two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC×LC) hyphenated with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The parallel-gradient concept omits the need for column re-equilibration and enables the use of the entire separation space. To assess its applicability to real complex samples, it was used in the analysis of a human IMR90 lung fibroblast cell line digest. There, it was able to identify significantly more proteins than the current state-of-the-art methods while using the same analysis time and at a lower solvent consumption. In general, the use of parallel-gradients achieves higher surface coverages and sensitivity at lower effective peak capacities. It allows for lower flow rates and maintains the sensitivity for low-abundant analytes.
<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Anal_Chem_Novel_MS_hyphenated_separation_methods_for_complex_mixtures_of_peptides_and_proteins_1_d9b243f9da.jpg" alt="University of Amsterdam / HIMS / Anal.Chem.: Parallel gradients in 2DLC-HRMS analysis."/>
Paper details: Rick S. van den Hurk, Bart Lagerwaard, Nathan J. Terlouw, Mingzhe Sun, Job J. Tieleman, Anniek X. Verstegen, Saer Samanipour, Bob W.J. Pirok, and Andrea F.G. Gargano: Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography–High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Complex Protein Digest Analysis Using Parallel Gradients. Anal. Chem. 2024, Publication date May 17, 2024. DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c02172">10.1021/acs.analchem.4c02172</a>
Read more: <a href="https://cast-amsterdam.org/2024/05/22/parallel-gradients-2dlc-hrms-of-complex-protein-digest/">Parallel Gradients 2DLC-HRMS of complex protein digest</a>
<h4>Nanoflow native ion exchange HRMS</h4>
Proteoforms are protein products arising from homologous genes as a result of sequence variations, alternative splicing, and post-translational modifications. They play a crucial role in a wide range of critical biological functions. The standard approach for their characterization is ‘bottom-up proteomics’ where their presence is inferred from peptides. The alternative approaches of ‘top-down’ proteomics and intact protein mass spectrometry often involve denaturing, which unfolds proteins and leads to the loss of non-covalent protein complexes. The paper of Ziran Zhai and coworkers presents a novel approach where nanoflow (250 or 500 nL min-1) strong cation exchange chromatography (SCX) is directly coupled to nano-electrospray-ionization (nESI) under native MS (nMS) conditions. Proteins were separated on packed capillary SCX columns and eluted according to their pI values by a salt-mediated pH gradient method. The low flow promoted desolvation/ionization efficiency allows for sensitive detection of low-abundant proteins and complexes. The method was successfully applied in the analysis of an E. coli cell lysate, revealing hundreds of proteins with masses up to 150 kDa. It provides a universal strategy to overcome detection limitations in native top-down proteomics.
<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Anal_Chem_Novel_MS_hyphenated_separation_methods_for_complex_mixtures_of_peptides_and_proteins_2_2040db6cf1.jpg" alt="University of Amsterdam / HIMS / Anal.Chem.: Nanoflow native ion exchange HRMS."/>
Paper details: Ziran Zhai, Despoina Mavridou, Matteo Damian, Francesco G. Mutti, Peter J. Schoenmakers, and Andrea F. G. Gargano: Characterization of Complex Proteoform Mixtures by Online Nanoflow Ion-Exchange Chromatography-Native Mass Spectrometry. Anal. Chem. 2024, publication date May 21, 2024. DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c01760">10.1021/acs.analchem.4c01760</a>
Read more: <a href="https://cast-amsterdam.org/2024/05/22/nanoflow-iec-hrms-to-study-complex-proteoform-mixtures/">Nanoflow IEC-HRMS to study complex proteoform mixtures</a>
<blockquote>
The SEparation and Mass spectrometry (SEMpre) group forms part of the Chemometrics &amp; Advanced Separations Team (CAST), joining Analytical Chemistry researchers Andrea Gargano, Bob Pirok and researchers from the University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam. They are also part of the Centre for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam (CASA).
</blockquote>
<h5>See also</h5>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cast-amsterdam.org/">Chemometrics and Advanced Separations Team (CAST)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://casa-lab.nl/">Centre for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam (CASA)</a></li>
</ul>

Novel MS hyphenated separation methods for complex mixtures of peptides and proteins

The open-access Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS Au) has just published an invited perspective by Dr Saer Samanipour and his team on the daunting challenge of mapping all the chemicals around us. Samanipour, an Assistant Professor at the Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) takes inventory of the available science and concludes that currently a real pro-active chemical management is not feasible. To really get a grip on the vast and expanding chemical universe, Samanipour advocates the use of machine learning and AI, complementing existing strategies for detecting and identifying all molecules we are exposed to.
In science lingo the aggregate of all the molecules we are exposed to is called the ‘exposome chemical space’ and it is central to Samanipour’s scientific endeavours. It is his mission to explore this vast molecular space and map it to the most ‘remote’ corners. He is driven by curiosity, but even more so by necessity. Direct and indirect exposure to a myriad of chemicals, mostly unknown, poses a significant threat to the human health. For instance, estimates are that 16% of global premature deaths are linked to pollution. The environment suffers as well, which can be seen, for example, in the loss of biodiversity. The case can be made, according to Samanipour, that humankind has surpassed the safe operating space for introducing human-made chemicals into the system of planet Earth.
<h4>Current approach is inherently passive</h4>
“It is rather unsatisfactory that we know so little about this”, he says. “We know little about the chemicals already in use, let alone that we can keep up with new chemicals that are currently being manufactured at an unprecedented rate.” In a previous study, he estimated that less than 2% of all chemicals that we are exposed to have been identified.
“The way society approaches this issue is inherently passive and at best reactive. Only after we observe some sort of effects of exposure to chemicals do we feel the urge to analyse them. We attempt to determine their presence, their effect on the environment and human health, and we try to determine the mechanisms by which they cause any harm. This has led to many problems, the latest being the crisis with PFAS chemicals. But we have also seen major issues with flame retardants, PCBs, CFCs and so on.”
<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Only_through_machine_learning_and_AI_can_we_come_to_grips_with_all_chemicals_around_us_Dr_Saer_Samanipour_f9a0087236.jpg" alt="University of Amsterdam / HIMS: Dr Saer Samanipour."/>
Moreover, regulatory measures are predominantly aimed at chemicals with a very specific molecular structure that are produced in large quantities. “There are countless numbers of other chemicals out there where we don’t know much about. And these are not only man-made; nature also produces chemicals that can harm us. Through purely natural synthetic routes, or through the transformation of man-made chemicals.” In particular the latter category has been systematically overlooked according to Samanipour. “Conventional methods have catalogued only a fraction of the exposome, overlooking transformation products and often yielding uncertain results.”
<h4>We need a data-driven approach</h4>
The paper in JACS Au thoroughly reviews the latest efforts in mapping the exposome chemical space and discusses their results. A main bottleneck is that conventional chemical analysis is biased towards known or proposed structures, since this is key to interpreting data obtained with analytical methods such as chromatography and mass spectrometry (<a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?instrumentationItems=5">GC</a>/<a href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/library?instrumentationItems=30">LC-HRMS</a>). Thus the more ‘unexpected’ chemicals are overlooked. This bias is avoided in so-called non-targeted analysis (NTA), but even then results are limited. Over the past 5 years, 1600 chemicals have been identified while every year around 700 new chemicals are introduced into the US market alone. Samanipour: “When you take the potential transformation products of these novel chemicals into account, you have to conclude that the speed of NTA studies is far too slow to be able to catch up. At this rate, our chemical exposome will continue to remain unknown.”
<blockquote>
<h4>&#39;We will for sure find molecules there that have been overlooked until now.&#39;</h4>
</blockquote>
The paper lists these and many more bottlenecks in current analytical science and suggest ways to improve results. In particular the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence will really push the field ahead, Samanipour argues. “We need a data-driven approach along several lines. Firstly, we should intensify the datamining efforts to distil information from existing chemical databases. Already recorded relations between structure, exposure and effect of identified chemicals will lead us to new insights. They could for instance help predict the health effects of related chemicals that are yet unidentified. Secondly, we have to perform retrospective analysis on already available analytical data obtained with established methods, expanding the identified chemical space. We will for sure find molecules there that have been overlooked until now. And thirdly, we can use AI to work on understanding the structure and scope of the exposome chemical space.”
<h4>Work hard to tackle this</h4>
Of course all this is a very complex, daunting matter, Samanipour realises. But as a sort of astronaut in molecular space - just like the explorers of the factual universe - he won’t let that complexity put him off. “We have to work hard to tackle this. I have no illusion that during my scientific career we will be able to fully chart the exposome chemical space. But it is imperative that we face its complexity, discuss it and take the first steps towards getting to grips with it.”
Samanipour cooperated with colleagues at the UvA’s Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, the School of Public Health at Imperial College London (United Kingdom) and the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Queensland (Australia). The work was supported by the TKI ChemistryNL and the UvA Data Science Center, with additional local funding for the partners in the UK and Australia.

Only through machine learning and AI can we come to grips with all chemicals around us

Analytical Scientists at the University of Amsterdam’s Van ‘t Hoff institute for Molecular Sciences together with colleagues from TNO have demonstrated for the first time that chemical warfare agents react with plant proteins to form stable protein adducts. These ‘biomarkers’ could still be detected in the living plants, as well as in dried leaves, up to three months after the actual exposure. This enables forensic reconstructions of the use of chemical weapons, which can assist investigations into alleged use in conflict areas.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1360/270;" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Analytical_Methods_Finding_evidence_in_plants_for_the_use_of_chemical_weapons_Photo_of_leaves_of_selected_plants_A_Bay_laurel_leaf_Laurus_nobilis_B_75d3501a91.jpg" alt="University of Amsterdam / HIMS: Photo of leaves of selected plants. (A) Bay laurel leaf (Laurus nobilis), (B) Basil (Ocimum basilicum), (C) Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). Image taken from the paper." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Analytical_Methods_Finding_evidence_in_plants_for_the_use_of_chemical_weapons_Photo_of_leaves_of_selected_plants_A_Bay_laurel_leaf_Laurus_nobilis_B_75d3501a91.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="1360" height="270"></figure>The research was recently published as a ‘hot article’ in the scientific journal Analytical Methods and features on the cover. First author is Mirjam de Bruin-Hoegée who performed the research as part of her PhD study under supervision of Arian van Asten, professor of Forensic Analytical Chemistry and On Scene Chemical Analysis at the University of Amsterdam and one of the directors of the Amsterdam Center for Forensic Science and Medicine (CLHC). De Bruin-Hoegée cooperated with researchers at TNO Defence, Safety and Security in Rijswijk, and with scientists of various member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as part of its “Plant Biomarker Challenge”. The OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its comprehensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.<h4>Abstract of the paper</h4>The continuing threats of military conflicts and terrorism may involve the misuse of chemical weapons. The present study aims to use environmental samples to find evidence of the release of such agents at an incident scene. A novel approach was developed for identifying protein adducts in plants.Basil (Ocimum basilicum), bay laurel leaf (Laurus nobilis) and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) were exposed to 2.5 to 150 mg m−3 sulfur mustard, 2.5 to 250 mg m−3 sarin, and 0.5 to 25 g m−3 chlorine gas. The vapors of the selected chemicals were generated under controlled conditions in a dedicated set-up. After sample preparation and digestion, the samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and liquid chromatography high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS), respectively.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Analytical_Methods_Finding_evidence_in_plants_for_the_use_of_chemical_weapons_Graphical_abstract_8c9616273e.jpg" alt="University of Amsterdam / HIMS / Analytical Methods: Graphical abstract." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Analytical_Methods_Finding_evidence_in_plants_for_the_use_of_chemical_weapons_Graphical_abstract_8c9616273e.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="700" height="390">In the case of chlorine exposure, it was found that 3-chloro- and 3,5-dichlorotyrosine adducts were formed. As a result of sarin exposure, the o-isopropyl methylphosphonic acid adduct to tyrosine could be analyzed, and after sulfur mustard exposure the N1- and N3-HETE-histidine adducts were identified. The lowest vapor exposure levels for which these plant adducts could be detected, were 2.5 mg m−3 for sarin, 50 mg m−3 for chlorine and 12.5 mg m−3 for sulfur mustard. Additionally, protein adducts following a liquid exposure of only 2 nmol Novichock A-234, 0.4 nmol sarin and 0.2 nmol sulfur mustard could still be observed. For both vapor and liquid exposure, the amount of adduct formed increased with the level of exposure. In all cases synthetic reference standards were used for unambiguous identification.The window of opportunity for investigation of agent exposure through the analysis of plant material was found to be remarkably long. Even three months after the actual exposure, the biomarkers could still be detected in the living plants, as well as in dried leaves. An important benefit of the current method is that a relatively simple and generic sample work-up procedure can be applied for all agents studied.In conclusion, the presented work clearly demonstrates the possibility of analyzing chemical warfare agent biomarkers in plants, which is useful for forensic reconstructions, including the investigation into alleged use in conflict areas.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Analytical_Methods_Finding_evidence_in_plants_for_the_use_of_chemical_weapons_aebfe37614.jpg" alt="University of Amsterdam / HIMS / Analytical Methods: Finding evidence in plants for the use of chemical weapons." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Analytical_Methods_Finding_evidence_in_plants_for_the_use_of_chemical_weapons_aebfe37614.jpg 120w," sizes="100vw" width="700" height="908">

Finding evidence in plants for the use of chemical weapons

What chemicals are we exposed to on a daily basis? That is the central question of ‘non-targeted analysis’ or NTA, an emerging field of analytical science that aims to identify all chemicals around us. A daunting task, because how can you be sure to detect everything if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for? In a paper in Environmental Science and Technology, researchers at the Universities of Amsterdam (UvA, the Netherlands) and Queensland (UQ, Australia) assess this problem. In a meta-analysis of NTA results published over the past six years, they estimate that less than 2% of all chemicals have been identified.According to Viktoriia Turkina who performed the research as a PhD student with Dr Saer Samanipour&nbsp; at the UvA’s Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, this limitation underscores the urgent need for a more proactive approach to chemical monitoring and management. “We need to incorporate more data-driven strategies into our studies to be able to effectively protect the human and environmental health”, she says.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_There_is_much_to_improve_in_identifying_all_the_chemicals_around_us_Viktoriia_Turkina_de5a1652e1.jpg" alt="University of Amsterdam / HIMS: Viktoriia Turkina." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_There_is_much_to_improve_in_identifying_all_the_chemicals_around_us_Viktoriia_Turkina_de5a1652e1.jpg 164w," sizes="100vw" width="700" height="665">Samanipour explains that current monitoring of chemicals is rather limited since it’s expensive, time consuming, and requires specialized experts. “As an example, in the Netherlands we have one of the most sophisticated monitoring programs for chemicals known to be of concern to human health. Yet we target less than 1000 chemicals. There are far more chemicals out there that we don't know about.”<h4>A vast chemical space</h4>To deal with those chemicals, some 15 to 20 years ago the concept of non-targeted analysis was introduced to look at possible exposure in an unbiased manner. The idea is to take a sample from the environment (air, water, soil, sewer sludge) or the human body (hair, blood, etc ) and analyse it using well-established analytical techniques such as chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectroscopy. The challenge then is to trace the obtained signal back to the structures of chemicals that may be present in the sample. This will include already known&nbsp; chemicals, but also chemicals of which the potential presence in the environment is yet unknown.In theory, this ‘chemical space’ includes as many as 1060 compounds, an incomprehensible number that exceeds the number of stars in the universe by far. On the other hand, the number of organic and inorganic substances published in the scientific literature and public databases is estimated at around 180 million. To make their research even more manageable, Turkina, Samanipour and co-workers focused on a subset of 60.000 well-described compounds from the NORMAN database. Turkina: “This served as the reference to establish what is covered in NTA studies, and more importantly, to develop an idea about what is being overlooked.”<blockquote>The vast ‘exposome’ of chemicals that humans are exposed to on a daily basis is a sign of our times, according to Samanipour. “These days we are soaking in a giant ocean of chemicals. The chemical industry is part of that, but also nature is running all a whole bunch of reactions that result in exposure. And we expose ourselves to chemicals by the stuff we use - think for instance of the problem of microplastics. To solve all this we have to be able to go beyond pointing fingers. With our research, we hope to contribute to finding a solution together. Because we all are in the same boat.”</blockquote><div><div><div><div><h4>Much room for improvement</h4>The meta analysis, which included 57 NTA papers, revealed that only around 2% of the estimated chemical space was covered. This can indicate that the actual exposure to chemicals is indeed quite low, however, it can also point to shortcomings in the applied analyses. According to Turkina and Samanipour, the latter is indeed the case. They focused on NTA studies applying liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) -one of the most comprehensive methods for the analysis of complex environmental and biological samples.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_There_is_much_to_improve_in_identifying_all_the_chemicals_around_us_Saer_Samanipour_5c78a79b5b.jpg" alt="University of Amsterdam / HIMS: Saer Samanipour." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_There_is_much_to_improve_in_identifying_all_the_chemicals_around_us_Saer_Samanipour_5c78a79b5b.jpg 180w," sizes="100vw" width="700" height="606"><div>It turned out that there was much room for improvement. For instance in sample preparation, they observed a bias towards specific compounds rather than capturing a more diverse set of chemicals. They also observed poor selection and inconsistent reporting of LC-HRMS parameters and data acquisition methods. “In general”, Samanipour says, “the chemical analysis community is to a great extent driven by the available technology that vendors have developed for specific analysis purposes. Thus the instrumental set-up and data processing methods are rather limited when it comes to non-targeted analysis.”To Samanipour, the NTA approach is definitely worth pursuing. “But we need to develop it further and push it forward. Together with vendors we can develop new powerful and more versatile analytical technologies, as well as effective data analysis protocols.” He also advocates a data-driven approach were the theoretical chemical space is ‘back calculated’&nbsp; towards a subset of chemicals that are highly likely to be present in our environment. “Basically we have to better understand what is the true chemical space of exposure. And once those boundaries are defined, then it becomes a lot easier to assess that number of 2% we have determined.”<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_EST_There_is_much_to_improve_in_identifying_all_the_chemicals_around_us_Distribution_of_all_chemicals_found_in_the_reviewed_articles_orange_overlaid_on_top_6a16bff0b0.jpg" alt="University of Amsterdam / HIMS / EST: Distribution of all chemicals found in the reviewed articles (orange), overlaid on top." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_EST_There_is_much_to_improve_in_identifying_all_the_chemicals_around_us_Distribution_of_all_chemicals_found_in_the_reviewed_articles_orange_overlaid_on_top_6a16bff0b0.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="777" height="441"></div></div></div></div></div>

There is much to improve in identifying all the chemicals around us 

In a paper in Forensic Chemistry, PhD candidate Mirjam de Bruin - Hoegée and co-workers present research on the use of dried blood spots for portable detection and laboratory verification of organophosphate poisoning. They were able to identify stable biomarkers in the dried blood and measure the cholinesterase activity using a mobile test kit months after exposure. Both LC-MS/MS and GC–MS/MS were used for unambiguous verification.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Forensic_Chemistry_Detecting_nerve_agent_biomarkers_in_dried_blood_spots_a0a93eaea6.jpg" alt="University od Amsterdam / HIMS / Forensic Chemistry: Detecting nerve agent biomarkers in dried blood spots." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_University_of_Amsterdam_HIMS_Forensic_Chemistry_Detecting_nerve_agent_biomarkers_in_dried_blood_spots_a0a93eaea6.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="1403" height="803">The research establishes that the on-scene analysis of biomarkers in dried blood spots followed by laboratory verification is a promising analysis scheme to verify nerve agent exposure. Nerve agent biomarkers in dried blood spots are very stable and can be detected at least one month after application on a protein saver card and storage under ambient conditions. Furthermore, the implementation in forensic practice is relatively straightforward. The method should however be confirmed in practice with regular and dried blood spot samples from an alleged exposure victim or animal model exposure studies.&nbsp;Furthermore, future research should focus on the improvement of the&nbsp;sample preparation methods&nbsp;to further lower the detection limit and fully validate the quantitative method.The research is part of the Forensic Attribution for CWA INtelliGence (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.forensicscientist.nl/facing.html">FACING</a>) project, a collaboration between the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) of the University of Amsterdam and TNO Defence, Safety &amp; Security. The research was performed at the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI). Also involved were the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the CLHC Amsterdam Center for Forensic Science and Medicine. The FACING project is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Defence.<h4>Paper abstract</h4>The analysis of biomedical samples is important for the investigation of the alleged exposure to chemical warfare agents. The present study aims to use dried blood spots for portable detection and laboratory verification of organophosphate poisoning. After in-vitro incubation of blood with Novichok A-230, A-232 and A-234 and sarin, a volume of 25 and 50&nbsp;µL was spotted on a protein saver card. Subsequently, the dried spots were extracted and analyzed by a mobile cholinesterase test kit. In addition, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) was isolated and digested by pepsin followed by analysis with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The fluoride-activated samples were analyzed by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) and LC-MS/MS. It was found that the CWA induced cholinesterase inhibition was remarkably stable in dried blood spots. Even after at least one month storage under ambient conditions, the same linear reduction was visible as function of nerve agent exposure. Additionally, nonapeptide adducts were identified by LC-MS/MS one month after exposure. Also, intact Novichok nerve agents and regenerated sarin were observed by GC–MS/MS. In addition to the stability of the sample, important benefits of the proposed method include the less invasive sample collection and safer and easier shipping and storage conditions. In conclusion, this study shows the feasibility of using on-site detection and state-of-the-art laboratory analysis of dried blood spots for unambiguous verification of nerve agent exposure.

Detecting nerve agent biomarkers in dried blood spots

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The University of Amsterdam is one of the largest comprehensive universities in Europe. With some 40,000 students, 6,000 staff, 3,000 PhD candidates, and an annual budget of more than 850 million euros, it is also one of Amsterdam’s biggest employers.

There is an inseparable link between the university and its host city. The freedom and creativity with which Amsterdam has long been associated have worked their way into the fabric of the university. This is a place where individuality, authenticity and diversity are celebrated as sources of stimulation, inspiration and innovation.

Professional and personal development, challenges and collaboration are undertaken in a versatile and multidimensional (inter)national ecosystem with leading stakeholders. Staff at the UvA make a meaningful contribution to uncovering solutions to some of the world’s most significant problems and to developing the next generation of talent.

Detecting nerve agent biomarkers in dried blood spots

There is much to improve in identifying all the chemicals around us

Finding evidence in plants for the use of chemical weapons

Only through machine learning and AI can we come to grips with all chemicals around us

Novel MS hyphenated separation methods for complex mixtures of peptides and proteins

Royal Honour for Peter Schoenmakers

Upcoming events

36th MassSpec Forum Vienna 2026

Analytical Strategies for Peptide & Protein Therapeutics

Advance Your SEC Knowledge Scientific Hands-on Workshop

Webinars

Big Scale, Big Wins: Prep Chromatography Explained

PFAS in Food & Food Contact Material

The science of next-gen ingredients: fermentation, formulation and function