<p><strong>This workflow confirms and quantifies 31 drugs of abuse in oral fluid (including THC) in a 4.5‑minute LC run on the </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/products/1149"><strong>Thermo Scientific Stellar mass spectrometer</strong></a><strong> using full scan + targeted MS2 (tMS2) with both HCD and CID fragmentation. With 1 µL injection and 0.1% formic acid in water/methanol mobile phases, the method supports ~13 samples/hour (up to ~320/day continuous operation) while maintaining confirmation performance via ion ratios.</strong></p><blockquote><h5><strong>Method at a glance</strong></h5><ul><li><strong>What matrix is tested?</strong> Oral fluid</li><li><strong>How many drugs?</strong> 31 drugs of abuse (panel includes THC)</li><li><strong>Run time?</strong> 4.5 minutes</li><li><strong>Throughput?</strong> ~13 samples/hour → up to ~320 samples/day (24‑hour operation)</li><li><strong>Injection volume?</strong> 1 µL</li><li><strong>Mobile phases?</strong> 0.1% formic acid in water (A) and 0.1% formic acid in methanol (B)</li><li><strong>MS acquisition?</strong> Full scan + targeted MS2 (tMS2)</li><li><strong>Fragmentation?</strong> Compound‑optimized <strong>HCD</strong> and <strong>CID</strong> in the same targeted list</li><li><strong>Confirmation strategy?</strong> Ion ratios with ±20% tolerance (typical confirmatory approach)</li></ul></blockquote><h3><strong>Why oral fluid—and why speed matters</strong></h3><p>Oral fluid is attractive for clinical and forensic toxicology because collection is simple and the matrix aligns well with high‑volume workflows (workplace/occupational, roadside, and other settings). The challenge is building a method that’s simultaneously:</p><ul><li><strong>Broad enough</strong> for today’s drug panels</li><li><strong>Sensitive enough</strong> to reach required cutoffs</li><li><strong>Fast enough</strong> to keep sample queues under control</li><li><strong>Confirmation‑ready</strong> (consistent product ions and ion ratios)</li></ul><p>A <strong>4.5‑minute</strong> method is a practical lever here: compress runtime, raise throughput, and still keep confirmation quality by optimizing MS/MS conditions per compound.</p><h3><strong>The LC method</strong></h3><p>A short, efficient separation is the foundation of the workflow:</p><ul><li><strong>UHPLC system:</strong> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/products/744"><strong>Thermo Scientific Vanquish Horizon UHPLC</strong></a></li><li><strong>Column:</strong> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/products/424"><strong>Thermo Scientific Accucore Biphenyl</strong></a>, 50 × 2.1 mm, 2.6 µm</li><li><strong>Mobile phase A:</strong> 0.1% formic acid in water</li><li><strong>Mobile phase B:</strong> 0.1% formic acid in methanol</li><li><strong>Injection volume:</strong> <strong>1 µL</strong></li><li><strong>Gradient runtime:</strong> <strong>4.5 minutes</strong></li></ul><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_4_5_Minute_Oral_Fluid_LC_MS_Method_to_Detect_31_Drugs_of_Abuse_Using_Stellar_MS_fd3f3e8ea4.jpg" alt="Thermo Fisher Scientific: 4.5-Minute Oral Fluid LC MS Method to Detect 31 Drugs of Abuse Using Stellar MS: Figure 1: Thermo Scientific Vanquish Horizon UHPLC system." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_4_5_Minute_Oral_Fluid_LC_MS_Method_to_Detect_31_Drugs_of_Abuse_Using_Stellar_MS_fd3f3e8ea4.jpg 120w," sizes="100vw" width="747" height="969"></p><h3><strong>The MS method (Full scan + targeted MS<sup>2</sup> with HCD + CID)</strong></h3><h5><strong>Acquisition approach</strong></h5><p>This method uses a “two‑layer” strategy for quantitation + confirmation:</p><ol><li><strong>Full scan</strong> (broad coverage, context, quantitative support)</li><li><strong>Targeted MS<sup>2</sup> (tMS2)</strong> (confirmation‑focused product ions, ion ratios)</li></ol><h5><strong>The key differentiator: HCD and CID in one targeted list</strong></h5><p>Instead of forcing every analyte into a single fragmentation style, the method uses both:</p><ul><li><strong>HCD</strong> (beam‑type fragmentation)</li><li><strong>CID</strong> (resonance‑type fragmentation)</li></ul><h5><strong>Why that improves method development:</strong></h5><p>Drugs of abuse span multiple chemistries. A single collision approach often works “okay” for most compounds—but one or two analytes can become persistent problems (weak qualifiers, unstable ion ratios, excess noise). Having both <strong>HCD and CID</strong> available in one method lets you optimize per compound and move faster.</p><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_4_5_Minute_Oral_Fluid_LC_MS_Method_to_Detect_31_Drugs_of_Abuse_Using_Stellar_MS_3_e4a95651a2.jpg" alt="Thermo Fisher Scientific: 4.5-Minute Oral Fluid LC MS Method to Detect 31 Drugs of Abuse Using Stellar MS: Figure 2: Thermo Scientific Stellar mass spectrometer." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_4_5_Minute_Oral_Fluid_LC_MS_Method_to_Detect_31_Drugs_of_Abuse_Using_Stellar_MS_3_e4a95651a2.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="645" height="377"></p><p><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_4_5_Minute_Oral_Fluid_LC_MS_Method_to_Detect_31_Drugs_of_Abuse_Using_Stellar_MS_5_88276eec6a.jpg" alt="Thermo Fisher Scientific: 4.5-Minute Oral Fluid LC MS Method to Detect 31 Drugs of Abuse Using Stellar MS: Figure 3: Full scan &amp; targeted MS2 methods, HCD and collision energies used." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_4_5_Minute_Oral_Fluid_LC_MS_Method_to_Detect_31_Drugs_of_Abuse_Using_Stellar_MS_5_88276eec6a.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="768" height="279"></p><h3><strong>Why CID + HCD flexibility improves confirmation</strong></h3><p>In this workflow, <strong>HCD</strong> performed well for most compounds. But for <strong>buprenorphine</strong>, HCD produced one dominant product ion with additional low m/z noise and noticeable residual precursor. Using <strong>CID</strong> generated two high‑intensity product ions and delivered <strong>consistent ion ratios</strong> across the calibration range.</p><p>When your confirmation hinges on stable ion ratios, the ability to switch fragmentation mode (not just collision energy) is a method‑development advantage—especially for “problem analytes.”</p><h3><strong>Controllable ionization</strong></h3><p>Oral fluid methods often deal with limited sample volume and matrix effects. This workflow pairs low injection volume with ionization control using the Thermo Scientific OptaMax Plus HESI source.</p><ul><li>The OptaMax Plus HESI source supports high probe temperature capability (up to 650 °C).</li><li>In this study, a vaporizer temperature of 500 °C was used to help achieve sensitivity and improve relative peak areas across drugs of abuse.</li></ul><p><strong>Why this matters:</strong> If you’re injecting only 1 µL, ionization stability and efficiency can be the difference between “meets cutoff” and “misses at LOQ.”</p><h3><strong>Sample preparation</strong></h3><p>Oral fluid panels become more challenging when THC is included because most drugs of abuse are basic, while THC is largely neutral, and that can stress extraction chemistry.</p><p>In this workflow, oral fluid calibrators and samples were extracted using a mixed‑mode approach designed to recover THC alongside other drugs:</p><ul><li>Calibrators prepared across eight levels (broad dynamic range)</li><li>Extraction performed using mixed‑mode chemistry tips (SCX/WAX) in a dispersive SPE‑style workflow</li><li>Steps automated on a liquid handling platform to support high‑throughput consistency</li><li>Samples dried and reconstituted prior to LC‑MS analysis</li><li>Only 1 µL injected per run</li></ul><p>Even if your lab uses different automation or consumables, the method structure (fast LC + full scan + targeted MS2 with dual fragmentation) transfers well.</p><blockquote><h5><strong>Throughput math</strong></h5><ul><li><strong>4.5 minutes per injection</strong> → 60 / 4.5 = <strong>13.3 injections/hour</strong></li><li>That’s <strong>~13 samples/hour</strong> in typical phrasing</li><li>Over 24 hours: 13.3 × 24 = <strong>~320 samples/day</strong> (continuous operation)</li></ul><p>If you run a single shift, just scale accordingly (e.g., ~106/day for an 8‑hour shift, excluding QC and overhead).</p></blockquote><h3>Performance summary</h3><h5><strong>Sensitivity and linearity</strong></h5><ul><li><strong>Linearity</strong> from LOQs as low as <strong>0.25 ng/mL</strong> up to <strong>1,000 ng/mL</strong> (panel-dependent)</li><li>For THC specifically: <strong>LOQ at 1 ng/mL</strong>, with a dynamic range extending to <strong>1,000 ng/mL</strong> in this evaluation</li><li>Across the panel, LOQs were reported as <strong>lower than recommended confirmation cutoffs</strong> referenced in SAMHSA guidance and NSC Tier 1 cutoffs (study-specific outcome)</li></ul><h5><strong>Confirmation via ion ratios</strong></h5><ul><li>Ion ratios evaluated using <strong>±20% tolerance</strong> (typical confirmatory acceptance framework)</li><li>The workflow produced <strong>consistent ion ratios across calibrator levels</strong> for the full panel in this evaluation</li></ul><h5><strong>Case sample comparison (real-world relevance)</strong></h5><p>When compared against a validated triple quadrupole method for case study samples, the Stellar MS workflow:</p><ul><li>Confirmed the positive hits observed by the reference method</li><li>Reported a few additional positives for select analytes, attributed to lower LOQs</li><li>Highlighted an operational efficiency point: <strong>1 µL injection</strong> in this method versus <strong>20 µL injection</strong> in the compared method</li></ul><h3><strong>FAQ</strong></h3><div><div><ol><li><strong>How long does the LC‑MS run take for the 31‑drug oral fluid panel?</strong><br><strong>4.5 minutes per injection</strong> using a short UHPLC gradient.<br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>How many drugs of abuse can Stellar MS detect in this workflow?</strong><br><strong>31 drugs of abuse</strong>, including <strong>THC</strong>, using full scan + targeted MS2.<br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>What MS/MS approach is used?</strong><br>A combined strategy: <strong>full scan</strong> plus <strong>targeted MS2 (tMS2)</strong> for confirmation.<br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Why use both HCD and CID?</strong><br>Because some analytes fragment better—and produce more stable confirmation ions/ion ratios—under one mode versus the other. Using both increases flexibility and speeds method optimization.<br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>What injection volume is used?</strong><br><strong>1 µL</strong> of extracted sample.<br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>What mobile phases are used?</strong><br><strong>0.1% formic acid in water (A)</strong> and <strong>0.1% formic acid in methanol (B)</strong>.<br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>How many samples can you run per day?</strong><br>At 4.5 minutes/injection, throughput is <strong>~13 samples/hour</strong> or <strong>up to ~320/day</strong> with continuous operation (actual throughput depends on QC and scheduling).</li></ol></div></div><h3><strong>What makes this workflow “easy” to develop on Stellar MS</strong></h3><p>Here’s the short list of features that directly reduce method‑development friction:</p><ul><li><strong>HCD or CID</strong> in one method → optimize per compound, not compromise</li><li><strong>Fast MS2 acquisition speeds</strong> (up to 140 Hz for MS2) → more data points across narrow peaks</li><li><strong>Fast polarity switching</strong> (true 5 ms) → supports mixed panels efficiently</li><li><strong>Adaptive RT</strong> (real‑time retention time window adjustment) → helps reduce reinjections when retention times drift (e.g., column aging) and supports method transfer from longer to shorter gradients</li><li><strong>OptaMax Plus HESI</strong> source control → supports sensitivity at low injection volumes</li></ul><p><i>If you’re building a fast oral fluid confirmation workflow—or updating an existing DOA panel—this 4.5‑minute method shows how Stellar MS can combine <strong>speed, confirmation-ready MS2, and fragmentation flexibility (HCD + CID)</strong> in a single targeted workflow. Reach out to learn how to adapt the targeted list, collision settings, and scheduling strategy to your lab’s cutoffs and throughput goals.</i></p><blockquote><p><strong>Visit us on&nbsp;</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/72003132/admin/dashboard/"><strong><u>LinkedIn:</u></strong></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong>#MassSpectrometry #OralFluid #DrugsOfAbuse #MethodDevelopment #HighThroughput</p></blockquote>

4.5-Minute Oral Fluid LC MS Method to Detect 31 Drugs of Abuse Using Stellar MS

<h2><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.isc2026.org/"><strong>ISC 2026</strong></a></h2><p><strong>The </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/companies/314"><strong>International Symposium on Chromatography (ISC)</strong></a><strong> represents the oldest conference series on separation science. ISC symposia have been organised since 1956 in each even year. ISC is one of the premier meetings series for discussion of all modes of chromatography and separation science with a broad coverage of techniques and applications.</strong></p><h4><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/events/644"><strong>35th International Symposium on Chromatography</strong></a></h4><p>📆<strong>6. - 10. September 2026</strong></p><p>📍<strong>Prague, Czech Republic</strong></p><h3><strong>REGISTRATION</strong></h3><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.czech-in.org/cmPortalV15/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2FcmPortalV15%2FPortal%2FISC26%2Fnormal"><strong>Register HERE for the ISC 2026</strong></a></p><p><strong>Late Registration until 25 August 2026</strong></p></blockquote><h3><strong>INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES</strong></h3><h4><strong>Activity 1: Discussion Session: Industry &amp; Education</strong></h4><ul><li>Monday, 7 September 2026 | 16:30-17:50</li><li><strong>Place:</strong> Club A</li><li><strong>Moderators:</strong> Tony Edge and Deirdre Cabooter&nbsp;</li></ul><h5><strong>Concept:</strong></h5><p>This discussion session will explore the relationship between education in separation science in academia and the expectations of industry, focusing on how universities and companies can better collaborate to prepare graduates for successful careers in analytical laboratories and R&amp;D environments.<br>The goal of the session is to provide perspectives from both academia and industry on how education in chromatography and related separation techniques can evolve to better reflect current technological, methodological, and regulatory challenges.</p><h5><strong>Discussion Topics:</strong></h5><ul><li><strong>Bridging academia and industry: </strong>how both sectors perceive current cooperation and where improvements are possible&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Graduate preparedness:</strong> which skills and competencies are often missing when entering industrial roles, and in which areas graduates typically excel&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Approaches to teaching separation science:</strong> how chromatography and related analytical techniques are taught across different universities and regions&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Industry support for education: </strong>examples of collaboration such as internships, industrial placements, joint teaching activities, or access to instrumentation&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Experiences with academia–industry partnerships: </strong>what models of cooperation have proven effective in practice&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Future perspectives</strong>: how education in separation science should adapt to emerging trends such as automation, digitalization, sustainability, and regulatory requirements&nbsp;</li></ul><h5><strong>Format:</strong></h5><p>Moderated panel discussion with short introductory remarks from invited speakers representing both academia and industry, followed by an interactive discussion with the audience.</p><h5><strong>Panelists:</strong></h5><ul><li>Shimadzu&nbsp;</li><li>Novartis&nbsp;</li><li>Jelle De Vos, RIC Group&nbsp;</li><li>Davy Guillarme, University of Geneva&nbsp;</li><li>Caterina Temporini, University of Pavia&nbsp;</li></ul><h4><strong>Activity 2: Career Presentation&nbsp;</strong></h4><ul><li>Monday, 7 September 2026 | 18:00-19:00</li><li><strong>Place: </strong>Club A</li><li><strong>Moderators: </strong>Adrian Clarke and Martina Catani</li></ul><h5><strong>Concept:</strong></h5><p>This session will provide an overview of career opportunities in separation science across industry, highlighting the wide range of professional pathways available to graduates and experienced scientists working in chromatography and related analytical disciplines.</p><p>Participating companies will introduce their organizations, present typical roles involving separation techniques, and share insights into the skills and competencies they seek in candidates. The session is intended to support students, early-career researchers, and experienced professionals interested in exploring career options in industry sectors.</p><h5><strong>Discussion Topics:&nbsp;</strong></h5><ul><li>Overview of career paths involving chromatography and separation science&nbsp;</li><li>Entry-level opportunities for graduates and PhD holders&nbsp;</li><li>Positions for experienced scientists and technical specialists&nbsp;</li><li>Roles in R&amp;D, analytical development, quality control, regulatory science, application support, and instrument development&nbsp;</li><li>Skills and competencies valued by employers in separation science&nbsp;</li><li>Internships, graduate programs, and early-career development opportunities&nbsp;</li><li>Mobility between academia and industry&nbsp;</li></ul><h5><strong>Format:</strong></h5><p>Short presentation providing:</p><ul><li>overview of different carrier paths&nbsp;</li><li>introduction to the company and its activities related to separation science&nbsp;</li><li>examples of typical roles and career progression paths&nbsp;</li><li>information about current or expected hiring needs&nbsp;</li><li>advice for candidates interested in pursuing careers in industry&nbsp;</li><li>the session should include time for informal discussion, allowing participants to interact with company representatives and learn more about specific opportunities.&nbsp;</li></ul><h4><strong>Activity 3: Job Fair</strong></h4><ul><li>Monday, 7 September and Tuesday, 8 September 2026 | 12:30-14:00</li><li><strong>Place: </strong>Club A</li><li><strong>Main organizer:</strong> Adrian Clarke</li></ul><h5><strong>Concept:</strong></h5><p>The ISC 2026 Job Fair provides a structured opportunity for direct interaction between companies active in separation science and conference participants seeking career opportunities. The session is designed to facilitate efficient, focused conversations between employers and candidates interested in positions related to chromatography and analytical science.</p><p>Participating candidates will submit their CV in advance allowing companies to review profiles prior to the event and identify potential matches based on expertise, experience, and career interests.</p><h5><strong>Format:</strong></h5><p>The Job Fair will follow a structured rotation format:</p><ul><li>Each participating company will be assigned a dedicated table&nbsp;</li><li>One company representative will meet candidates individually&nbsp;</li><li>Each candidate will have 5 minutes per meeting to introduce their background and interests&nbsp;</li><li>Participants will rotate between companies at timed intervals&nbsp;</li><li>Session timing will be managed by the organizer, with a signal indicating when to move to the next meeting&nbsp;</li></ul><h5><strong>Candidates:</strong></h5><p>Participants interested in joining the Job Fair are asked to:</p><ul><li>submit their CV before August 23rd &nbsp;</li><li>indicate areas of expertise and career interests&nbsp;</li><li>specify whether they are seeking internships, entry-level roles, or experienced positions&nbsp;</li><li>specify if you cannot be available on a certain day e.g. owing to poster presentation&nbsp;</li><li>send these materials to: <a href="mailto:careers@isc2026.org">careers@isc2026.org</a>&nbsp;</li></ul><h5><strong>Companies:</strong></h5><p>Confirmed participating companies to date include:</p><ul><li>Novartis&nbsp;</li><li>RIC Group&nbsp;</li><li>Shimadzu&nbsp;</li><li>further companies to be added&nbsp;</li></ul><p>Potential employers please register your interest to <a href="mailto:careers@isc2026.org">careers@isc2026.org</a> to participate in the speed-dating (first come first served basis).</p><p>“<strong>Jobs position</strong>” board will be available in the Careers fair in the foyer in the symposium venue and attendees can visit the company booths in the exhibition hall or discuss with recruiting companies during the conference.</p><blockquote><p>Recruiters please send an email with your open positions to <a href="careers@isc2026.org">careers@isc2026.org</a> by the <strong>23rd August</strong> and bring the job adverts to post on the jobs board (there will also be the possibility to upload the open positions to the Symposium app).</p></blockquote><h4><strong>Activity 4: Discussion Session: Artificial Intelligence in Separation Science: From Concept to Practice</strong></h4><ul><li>Tuesday, 8 September 2026 | 16:30-18:00</li><li>Place: Club A</li><li><strong>Moderators:</strong> Bob Pirok</li></ul><h5><strong>Concept:</strong></h5><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven approaches are increasingly influencing analytical chemistry, offering new possibilities for method development, data interpretation, process optimization, and decision support. This discussion session will explore how AI is currently being applied in separation science, with a particular focus on practical implementation in industry environments.</p><p>The session aims to provide a realistic overview of the current state of AI adoption, highlighting both successful applications and remaining challenges. Contributions from industry and academia will help clarify where AI already delivers value, where expectations may exceed current capabilities, and what developments are needed to enable broader implementation.</p><h5><strong>Discussion Topics:&nbsp;</strong></h5><ul><li>Current applications of AI and machine learning in separation science&nbsp;</li><li>Use of AI in chromatographic method development and optimization&nbsp;</li><li>Data analysis, peak detection, and automated interpretation of complex datasets&nbsp;</li><li>AI-supported troubleshooting and predictive maintenance of analytical instruments&nbsp;</li><li>Integration of AI into regulated environments (e.g., pharmaceutical industry)&nbsp;</li><li>Data requirements, data quality, and standardization challenges&nbsp;</li><li>Comparison between academic developments and real-world industrial implementation&nbsp;</li><li>Barriers to adoption, including regulatory considerations, validation requirements, and transparency of models&nbsp;</li><li>Future outlook: digital laboratories, autonomous method development, and AI-assisted decision-making in analytical workflows&nbsp;</li></ul><h5><strong>Format:</strong></h5><p>Moderated panel discussion with short introductory remarks from invited speakers representing both academia and industry, followed by an interactive discussion with the audience.</p><h4><strong>Activity 5: Discussion Session: Sustainability in Separation Science</strong></h4><ul><li>Wednesday, 9 September 2026 | 16:30-18:00</li><li><strong>Place:</strong> Club A</li><li><strong>Moderators:</strong> Gertrud Morlock</li></ul><h5><strong>Concept:</strong></h5><p>Sustainability has become an increasingly important priority in analytical science, driving the development of greener methods, reduced solvent consumption, improved energy efficiency, and more responsible laboratory practices. While academic research frequently proposes innovative sustainable approaches, their implementation in industry is often influenced by additional considerations such as robustness, regulatory compliance, cost efficiency, scalability, and long-term reliability.</p><p>This discussion session aims to explore how sustainability principles are applied in real industrial environments and how collaboration between academia and industry can help translate promising research concepts into practical, validated solutions.</p><p>By bringing together perspectives from both sectors, the session will highlight opportunities to better align research priorities with industrial needs and identify realistic pathways toward more sustainable separation workflows.</p><h5><strong>Discussion Topics:&nbsp;</strong></h5><ul><li>Reduction of solvent consumption and the transition to more environmentally friendly mobile phases&nbsp;</li><li>Miniaturized and more efficient separation and extraction techniques&nbsp;</li><li>Energy consumption and efficiency of laboratory processes and analytical instrumentation&nbsp;</li><li>Lifecycle considerations for columns, consumables, and laboratory waste&nbsp;</li><li>Metrics and approaches for measuring and evaluating the “greenness” of analytical methods&nbsp;</li><li>Regulatory constraints and requirements that may limit the implementation of greener analytical workflows&nbsp;</li></ul><h5><strong>Format:</strong></h5><p>Moderated panel discussion with short introductory contributions from invited speakers representing industry, academia, and technology providers, followed by interactive discussion with the audience.</p><h5><strong>Panelists:</strong></h5><ul><li>Sébastien Rolle, Shimadzu&nbsp;</li><li>Ken Cook, Thermo Fisher Scientific&nbsp;</li><li>Andreas Otto, Agilent&nbsp;</li><li>Janusz Pawliszyn, University of Waterloo&nbsp;</li><li>Giorgia Purcaro, University of Liège&nbsp;</li></ul>

Industry program at ISC 2026

<p><strong>We are delighted to invite food scientists from academia and industry, representatives of (inter)national agencies, control authorities, governmental and commercial laboratories to attend </strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/events/928"><strong>RAFA 2026</strong></a><strong> (12th Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis), that takes place 3–6 November 2026 in Prague..</strong></p><blockquote><p class="cke-user_style-important"><strong>👉</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rafa.easyevent.eu/tickets/"><strong>SUBMIT ABSTRACT</strong></a> <strong>FOR POSTER PRESENTATION by August 31, 2026</strong></p><p>Do not miss the opportunity to present your latest results at <strong>RAFA 2026</strong>.</p></blockquote><h5><strong>Next deadlines:</strong></h5><ul><li><strong>August 31, 2026</strong>: 2nd window – &nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rafa2026.eu/sponsors_exhibitors_media_partners_info.html"><strong>Application for participation as a Sponsor or Exhibitor</strong></a></li><li><strong>September 30, 2026:&nbsp;</strong><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rafa2026.eu/registration.html"><strong>Registration at the regular rate</strong></a></li><li><strong>Abstract submission</strong> – <strong>Last minute posters </strong>(<i>May not appear in the RAFA 2026 program</i>)</li></ul></li></ul><p>Since its first edition in 2003, RAFA has grown into a <strong>prestigious international event</strong>, typically welcoming <strong>up to 850 participants</strong> from more than <strong>60 countries</strong> worldwide, with the support of more than 50 sponsors, exhibitors, media and supporting partners.</p><p>RAFA 2026 will provide an overview of contemporary trends in the <strong>ANALYTICAL &amp; BIOANALYTICAL STRATEGIES IN FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY CONTROL</strong> and discuss the <strong>CHALLENGES AND NOVEL APPROACHES IN FOOD AND NATURAL PRODUCTS ANALYSIS</strong>.</p><p>View the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rafa2026.eu/invited_speakers.html"><strong>list of distinguished speakers</strong></a> who have accepted our invitation to RAFA 2026 and will present current hot topics and future perspectives in food analysis!</p><blockquote><p>👉More details on the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rafa2026.eu/scientific_programme.html"><strong>RAFA 2026 preliminary program</strong></a> can be found HERE.</p><p>👉OUR <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rafa2026.eu/about_sponsors_exhibitors_partners.html"><strong>SPONSORS, EXHIBITORS, MEDIA and SUPPORTING PARTNERS</strong></a></p></blockquote><p>You are kindly invited to join and contribute to our exciting scientific program and unforgettable social events!</p><p><strong>We look forward to meeting you again in Prague!</strong></p><ul><li>Prof. Jana Pulkrabova &amp; Dr. Stefan van Leeuwen, Symposium Chairs</li><li>Prof. Michele Suman, Symposium Co-chair</li><li>Prof. Jana Hajslova &amp; Prof. Michel Nielen, Symposium Honorary Chairs</li></ul>

RAFA 2026 - Deadline for Abstract Submission for poster presentation is coming

Article

Product

Events

Application

Food

Video

RAFA provides an overview of contemporary trends in ANALYTICAL & BIOANALYTICAL STRATEGIES IN FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY CONTROL and discusses CHALLENGES / NOVEL APPROACHES IN FOOD AND NATURAL PRODUCTS ANALYSIS.

Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA)

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Thermo Fisher Scientific

The International Symposium on Chromatography (ISC) represents the oldest conference series focussing on separation science. ISC symposia have been organised since 1956 in each even year. ISC is internationally recognised as one of the premier meeting series for discussion of all modes of chromatography and separation science with a broad coverage of techniques and applications.

International Symposium on Chromatography - (ISC)

Separation Science

Agilent Technologies

Phenomenex

Evosep Biosystems

Waters Corporation

<p><strong>Contaminants in the sample matrix can create chromatography issues, system downtime, and unreliable test results. Having clean samples can help prevent most of these problems. There are many options for sample cleanup.</strong></p>
<p>We’ll discuss the following options:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>Solid phase extraction (SPE), which provides the cleanest sample.</strong></p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>“Targeted” filtration, which can remove specific interferences from the sample matrix and provides clean samples.</strong></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>In this talk, we’ll discuss tips for selecting, developing, and implementing SPE methods. We’ll also discuss newly developed targeted filtration options and their benefits.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Presenter:</strong> Golnar Javadi (Application Engineer, Agilent Technologies, Inc.)</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>Golnar Javadi is an applications engineer providing online applications assistance and technical support for LC columns and supplies, Sample Preparation products, and Spectroscopy supplies.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>Before joining Varian and then Agilent, Golnar worked in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries on method development and quality control. She also taught college level chemistry courses for a few years.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>Golnar then joined Varian as a technical support specialist, providing customers with method development assistance and technical support on Sample Preparation (SPE, SLE, and Filtration), HPLC, GC, ToxiLab and DAT. After the Varian-Agilent merger, Golnar joined Agilent Technologies as an Applications Engineer. She provides technical support to customers on Sample Preparation products, Liquid Chromatography columns, and Spectroscopy supplies.</p>
</blockquote>


Agilent Technologies: Sample Cleanup: Method Development for Solid Phase Extraction and Beyond

Sample Cleanup: Method Development for Solid Phase Extraction and Beyond

We’ll discuss tips for selecting, developing, and implementing SPE methods. We’ll also discuss newly developed targeted filtration options and their benefits.

Sample Cleanup: Method Development for SPE

<p><strong>We invite you to join a hybrid event on October 15<sup>th</sup> to explore the latest solutions and workflows for overcoming environmental and food contaminant testing challenges.</strong></p><p>This event will be broadcast live from the laboratory at Thermo Fisher Scientific Customer Solutions Center (CSC) in Paris. You can join in person at one of our many 'satellite' venues worldwide, where we will offer an extended agenda, or participate remotely through the live broadcast.</p><p>During the live stream broadcast, you will meet our Customer Solution Centre specialist team and leading industry expert, John Quick, as they discuss innovative solutions to meet the ever-evolving testing demands. There will be plenty of time to ask these experts your questions.</p><p>The following sessions will be streamed all over Europe and beyond:</p><ul><li><strong>Detecting PFAS in drinking water to meet regulations across Europe</strong> – New automated sample preparation high-resolution MS solution to achieve parts per trillion detection limits.<br><i>Aristide Ganci,&nbsp;Senior Product Application Specialist, Thermo Fisher Scientific; Valérie Thibert, Senior Product Application Specialist, Thermo Fisher Scientific; Bénédicte Gauriat, Senior Product Application Specialist, Thermo Fisher Scientific</i></li><li><strong>New ready-to-go pesticide residue solution for faster, more confident results</strong><br><i>Zoe Julian, Product Marketing Specialist, Manager; Bénédicte Gauriat, Senior Product Application Specialist, Thermo Fisher Scientific; Julie Moriceau, Senior Product Application Specialist, Thermo Fisher Scientific</i></li><li><strong>Low-level contaminant testing in environmental water matrices</strong>&nbsp;– High-Resolution Accurate Mass GC-MS approach to meet future regulations<br><i>John Quick, Principal Scientist, ALS Environmental Ltd</i></li></ul><p>After the live stream concludes, 'satellite' locations offer a unique program onsite. Take this unique opportunity to connect with industry professionals, or join us to explore, network, and collaborate on your future projects. Scroll below to the venue of your choice to discover the individual agenda.</p><p>Participation is free of charge, registration is required.</p><p>For any questions about this event or regarding your registration, please email <a href="mailto:CMDEvents@thermofisher.com">CMDEvents@thermofisher.com</a>.</p><h3><strong>Preliminary agenda</strong></h3><h5><strong>10:15 Live streaming of this event to ‘satellite’ locations and online audience</strong></h5><h5><strong>10:30 Introduction</strong></h5><ul><li>Jeff Stubbs (Business Development Manager, Environment and Food Safety, Thermo Fisher Scientific)</li></ul><h5><strong>10:55 Detecting PFAS in drinking water to meet regulations across Europe - New automated sample preparation high-resolution MS solution to achieve ppt detection limits</strong></h5><ul><li>A Ganci, V Thibert and B Gauriat (Senior Product Application Specialists, Thermo Fisher Scientific)</li></ul><h5><strong>11:35 Break</strong></h5><h5><strong>12:05 New ready-to-go pesticide residue solution for faster, more confident results</strong></h5><ul><li>Z Julian, Product Marketing, B Gauriat, and J Moriceau (Senior Product Application Specialists Thermo Fisher Scientific)</li></ul><h5><strong>12:45 Low-level contaminant testing in environmental water matrices – high-resolution GCMS approach to meet future regulations</strong></h5><ul><li>John Quick (Principal Scientist, ALS Environmental Ltd)</li></ul><h5><strong>13:15 Closing comments</strong></h5><h5><strong>13:30 End of live streaming</strong></h5><div><div container-id="cq-colctrl-lt7" comp-id="B1"><div><div><div><div><div><div><blockquote><h3>How to attend?</h3><p>3 ways of attending:</p><p><strong>Customer Solution Centre (in-person event):&nbsp;</strong><br>Join the heart of the event at our Customer Solution Center in Paris, where the main agenda will be hosted and live-streamed worldwide to our ‘Satellite’ locations and our audience.</p><p><strong>Join a ‘Satellite’ location (in-person event):&nbsp;</strong><br>Our in-person ‘Satellite’ events will broadcast the main agenda live-streamed from our Customer Solution Center in Paris and supplement the day with local presentations, lab tours, or workshops. Take this opportunity to meet your Thermo Fisher representatives and industry experts from the region. Discover the individual agenda for your ‘Satellite’ location of interest.</p><p><strong>Online attendees (remote):&nbsp;</strong><br>Unable to travel to a ‘Satellite’ event? Not a problem! You can register to attend conveniently online from your desk or anywhere else through the live stream from our Customer Solutions Center in Paris.</p></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>

Thermo Scientific: Solutions for environmental and food contaminant testing

Solutions for environmental and food contaminant testing

New and advancing workflows to meet and exceed European regulations.

<p><strong>This comprehensive webinar will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in N-glycan analysis, from sample preparation to data interpretation.</strong></p><p>Enhance your understanding of the latest tools Agilent offers to address your biotherapeutic characterization needs.</p><h4>By attending this webinar, you will:</h4><ul><li><strong>Understand the significance of N-glycans</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Learn about the latest N-glycan sample preparation techniques</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Understand how to select the right columns and perform HILIC separations</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Analyze data with the new Glycan Peak Assignment Tool</strong></li></ul><blockquote><p><strong>Presenter: </strong>Tom Rice (Bioconsumables Product Manager, Agilent Technologies)</p><p>Tom Rice is the Bioconsumables Product Manager at Agilent Technologies, coming to Agilent through the acquisition of ProZyme in 2018. Prior to joining Agilent, he held various sales and marketing roles within ProZyme beginning in 2014. Much of Tom’s work, both at ProZyme and Agilent, has been focused on bringing innovative glycobiology solutions to biopharma customers. Tom is based in California and holds a B.S. from Sonoma State University.</p><p><strong>Presenter:&nbsp;</strong>Randall Robinson (Research and Development Scientist, Chemistries and Supplies Division at Agilent Technologies)</p><p>Randall Robinson is a Research and Development Scientist in the Chemistries and Supplies Division at Agilent. Prior to joining Agilent in 2021, Randall completed his PhD in food chemistry with a focus on developing analytical techniques to characterize bioactive oligosaccharides in milk and dairy streams. Since joining Agilent, he has contributed to the design of numerous products utilized for N-glycan analysis, including the HILIC column described in this presentation.</p></blockquote>

Separation Science: Streamlining N-Glycan Analysis: A Complete Workflow from Agilent

Streamlining N-Glycan Analysis: A Complete Workflow from Agilent

Learn about the latest N-Glycan sample preparation techniques.

Streamlining N-Glycan Analysis: A Complete Workflow

<p><strong>LC/MS has played a critical role in bringing new monoclonal antibody-based therapies to market, enabling comprehensive characterization. However, sample preparation continues to remain a bottleneck as it is both time consuming and can introduce variability in LC-MS studies.</strong></p><p>In this webinar, you will learn how you can leverage the Andrew+ Pipetting Robot to automate sample preparation prior to LC-MS studies of monoclonal antibodies.</p><p>Examples discussed will include:</p><ul><li><strong>Monoclonal antibody purification</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Monitoring mAB oxidation at the subunit level</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Glycan profiling</strong></li></ul><p>By automating sample preparation prior to LC-MS studies, Scientists can focus on experimental design and data analysis while eliminating a major source of variability.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Presenter: </strong>N. Dilip Padliya, PhD (Principal Product Marketing Manager, Laboratory Automation, Waters Corporation)</p><p>N. Dilip Padliya recently joined the Laboratory Automation division of Waters, focused on automating sample preparation in LC-MS, Bioanalysis, Proteomics, Lipidomics, and Metabolomics. His prior work experience includes running a Proteomics research group at Celgene (now part of Bristol Myers Squibb). He has authored 7 peer reviewed publications and is a co-inventor on 10 patents.</p></blockquote>

Waters Corporation: Automated Sample Prep Prior to LC-MS Studies of Monoclonal Antibodies

Automated Sample Prep Prior to LC-MS Studies of Monoclonal Antibodies

How you can leverage the Andrew+ Pipetting Robot to automate sample preparation prior to LC-MS studies of monoclonal antibodies.

Automated Sample Prep Prior to LC-MS Studies

<h4><strong>The Waters 2024 Virtual Summer School - An Educational Journey to Master Food &amp; Environmental Analysis</strong></h4><p>Unlock the full potential of LC-MS techniques with our immersive and educational sessions at the Waters Virtual F&amp;E Late Summer School 2024. From September 24th to 26th, engage with leading experts and discover cutting-edge methods for environmental and food analysis.</p><h5><strong>Why attend?</strong></h5><ul><li><strong>Comprehensive Learning:</strong> Dive deep into advanced LC-MS techniques and gain practical knowledge to enhance your laboratory's analytical capabilities.</li><li><strong>Expert Insights:</strong> Learn from industry leaders and gain firsthand experience through detailed modules on chromatography, mass spectrometry, and sample preparation.</li><li><strong>Regulatory Compliance:</strong> Stay ahead with the latest insights on EU regulations for PFAS analysis in food and water, ensuring your lab meets stringent standards.</li></ul><h3><strong>Episode #5: General Sample Preparation | F&amp;E Summer School - Day 2 - Module 1</strong></h3><p>Sample preparation is a key aspect in the analytical workflow and heavily determines the quality of the analysis. Solid Phase Extraction is a fundamental sample preparation technique widely used across all areas of analytical chemistry. Whether new to SPE or seeking a refresher, this webinar will introduce the basics of sample preparation and provide practical insights and technical background on the benefits when choosing SPE over another form of sample preparation, especially for analytes in complex matrices, such as the ones often encountered in Food and Environmental analysis. Join us in exploring SPE key parameters and best practices for implementing successful SPE methods. The session will combine PowerPoint slides with videos describing good practices and showing a practical example on the complex analysis of PFAS.</p><p>Our guest speaker Chiara Sarti from Cranfield University, Bedford UK, will share her research results on the work with new dual layer cartridges to extract PFAS from different environmental samples.</p><h5><strong>What you'll learn:</strong></h5><ul><li>Understanding SPE fundamentals</li><li>Making SPE simple with water-wettable sorbents</li><li>Verifying successful SPE implementation</li></ul><blockquote><p><strong>Presenter:&nbsp;</strong>Xavier Rodríguez (Business Development Manager Chemistry Group, Southern Europe, Waters)</p><p>Xavier is part of the European Market Development Team. He works as an Application Specialist with focus on sample prep and has more than 20 years of experience in solving sample prep challenges.</p><p><strong>Presenter:&nbsp;</strong>Chiara Sarti (Ph.D. Student, Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence)</p></blockquote>

Waters Corporation: The Waters 2024 Virtual Summer School

General Sample Preparation

Join us in exploring SPE key parameters and best practices for implementing successful SPE methods. 

<h4><strong>The Waters 2024 Virtual Summer School - An Educational Journey to Master Food &amp; Environmental Analysis</strong></h4><p>Unlock the full potential of LC-MS techniques with our immersive and educational sessions at the Waters Virtual F&amp;E Late Summer School 2024. From September 24th to 26th, engage with leading experts and discover cutting-edge methods for environmental and food analysis.</p><h5><strong>Why attend?</strong></h5><ul><li><strong>Comprehensive Learning:</strong> Dive deep into advanced LC-MS techniques and gain practical knowledge to enhance your laboratory's analytical capabilities.</li><li><strong>Expert Insights:</strong> Learn from industry leaders and gain firsthand experience through detailed modules on chromatography, mass spectrometry, and sample preparation.</li><li><strong>Regulatory Compliance:</strong> Stay ahead with the latest insights on EU regulations for PFAS analysis in food and water, ensuring your lab meets stringent standards.</li></ul><h3><strong>Episode #6: Automated Sample Preparation | F&amp;E Summer School - Day 2 - Module 2</strong></h3><p>This Module builds on the previous one by adding automation to the sample preparation methods. The Andrew+™ pipetting robot offers fully automated liquid handling using electronic pipettes and labware holders called Dominos for a full walk-away automation solution.</p><p>Creating the connected laboratory, Andrew+ is part of the OneLab™ ecosystem, executing laboratory protocols designed in OneLab software. This flexible architecture enables you to effortlessly transition from laborious manual pipetting procedures to error-free, fully-robotized lab workflows – without any knowledge of programming, laboratory robotics or automation engineering. and explains processes the Andrew+ pipetting robot can take over in your lab.</p><p>The European Union has adopted Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/1431 to monitor PFAS in fruits, vegetables, milk and baby food. To achieve quantification at lowest levels of PFAS in food matrices, sample preparation is required which comprise of many pipetting steps and can be time-consuming and error prone. We will demonstrate an automate workflow for the analysis of PFAS in milk using a pipetting robot and stacked dual-phase SPE cartridges to meet EU 2022/1431 levels.</p><h5><strong>What you'll learn:</strong></h5><p>Possibilities to automat liquid handling processes in LC and LC-MS e.g.</p><ul><li>Serial dilution</li><li>Calibration curve</li><li>Solid Phase Extraction (SPE)</li></ul><blockquote><p><strong>Presenter:&nbsp;</strong>Xavier Rodríguez (Business Development Manager Chemistry Group, Southern Europe, Waters)</p><p>Xavier is part of the European Market Development Team. He works as an Application Specialist with focus on sample prep and has more than 20 years of experience in solving sample prep challenges.</p><p><strong>Presenter:&nbsp;</strong>Daniel Ng PhD (Principal Scientist, Waters Corporation)</p><p>Daniel Ng received his PhD from the University of Manchester in mass spectrometry proteomics. He worked for 5 years at the Waters mass spectrometry headquarters in Wilmslow, UK, as a service support development engineer specializing in mass spectrometry instrumentation. In 2019, he took up a new role as a principal scientist at the International Food and Water Research Centre (Waters) in Singapore focusing on using advanced instrumentation to answer analytical challenges in the food and water industry. Since 2023, Daniel has lead the Food, Environmental and Material Science Analytical Professional Service team in the Asia-Pacific Region, developing analytical solutions to meet key challenges that customers face.</p></blockquote>

Automated Sample Preparation

The Andrew+™ pipetting robot offers fully automated liquid handling using electronic pipettes and labware holders.

<p><strong>In this session, we explore how cutting-edge technology can detect the early signs of infectious disease with precision and speed. Early identification of disease markers can significantly enhance patient care by allowing for faster, more effective treatments.</strong></p><p>Learn how Evosep One’s robustness, sensitivity, and efficiency are helping laboratories and clinicians stay ahead of disease progression, providing key insights that lead to better health outcomes.</p><p>Accurate and early detection of mycobacterial pathogens is critical for improving patient outcomes. We developed and validated multiple novel diagnostic methods. First, an immuno-affinity liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (ILM) assay that quantifies Mycobacterium tuberculosis CFP10 peptides and HIV-1 p24 in serum, showing high sensitivity and specificity in both adults and children. This method allows early detection of HIV and TB and monitors treatment responses effectively. The second approach involves an automated peptidomics pipeline that rapidly identifies mycobacterial species and subspecies from early growth cultures, including drug-resistant strains, significantly reducing diagnosis time compared to current clinical practices. These methods present significant advancements for managing the mycobacterial diseases.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Presenter: </strong>PhD. Tony Hu (Center for Cellular &amp; Molecular Diagnostics, Tulane Cancer Center Translational Oncology Research Program Leader)</p><p><strong>Presenter:&nbsp;</strong>Aaron Scott (Infection Medicine (BMC) – Faculty of Medicine, Lund University)</p></blockquote>

Evosep: Tracking early signs of infectious disease with Evosep One to improve patient outcomes

Tracking early signs of infectious disease with Evosep One to improve patient outcomes

Learn how Evosep One’s robustness, sensitivity, and efficiency are helping laboratories and clinicians stay ahead of disease progression.

Tracking early signs of infectious disease with Evosep One

<p><strong>Researchers in early antibody and protein drug development are now harnessing the power of automation to transform traditional purification techniques into high-throughput, automated processes.</strong></p><p>This game-changing approach lets them explore protein expression, stability, and functionality before scaling up to larger volumes. While protein scientists excel in engineering and purification, the complexities of automation bring new challenges that can significantly impact workflow and performance.</p><p>Join us for an exciting webinar by Biotage, where we’ll dive into the evolution of major automated, small-scale protein purification platforms over the past 20 years. By focusing on screening and process development applications, you’ll gain invaluable insights that will help you choose the perfect automation platform for your needs. We’ll cover everything from entry barriers (such as time and cost) to automation efficiency, downstream compatibility, and overall performance. Plus, we’ll present comparative performance data across platforms, highlighting key metrics for optimizing protein purification such as yield, concentration, consistency, and purity.</p><h4><strong>What you will learn:</strong></h4><ul><li><strong>Valuable insights into how automation platforms are used in screening and process development applications</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Tips on selecting the appropriate automation platform for your specific needs</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Understanding the time and cost barriers to adopting automation</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Evaluating the efficiency of different automation platforms and assessing how well they integrate with downstream processes</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Comparative performance data across the platforms – protein yield, concentration, consistency, and purity</strong></li></ul><h4><strong>Who should attend:</strong></h4><ul><li>Protein Scientists: Those involved in protein engineering and purification</li><li>Biotech Researchers: Professionals working on antibody and protein drug development</li><li>Research Scientists: Individuals focusing on high-throughput screening and process development</li><li>Lab Managers: Those overseeing laboratory workflows and looking to integrate automation</li></ul><blockquote><p><strong>Presenter: </strong>Gabrielle Kerkow (Application Scientist, Biotage)</p><p>Gabrielle Kerkow earned her Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering and Psychology from Louisiana State University and is currently pursuing a Master of Biotechnology at San Jose State University. Having experience with chromatography, she joined Biotage as an Application Scientist, focusing on automating protein and plasmid purification on liquid handlers. Her role involves method development, programming for high-throughput purification, and evaluating the performance of protein purification.</p></blockquote>

Separation Science: Elevating Protein Purification Efficiency: Transitioning from Manual Techniques to Automated Platforms

Elevating Protein Purification Efficiency: Transitioning from Manual Techniques to Automated Platforms

The complexities of automation bring new challenges that can significantly impact workflow and performance.

Elevating Protein Purification Efficiency

<h4>Key Learning Points:</h4><ul><li><strong>Identify the common challenges associated with solid phase extraction methods</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Understand and troubleshoot the recovery, contamination and reproducibility issues</strong><br>&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Learn how to find and apply solutions to develop robust and reproducible extraction methods for their sample preparation needs</strong></li></ul><h4>Who Should Attend:</h4><ul><li>Any scientists who wants to learn about solid phase extraction and it’s associated challenges, common troubleshooting steps and solutions to develop robust and reproducible extraction methods for their sample preparation needs</li></ul><blockquote><p><strong>Presnter: </strong>Namrata Saxena (Technical Manager, Phenomenex)</p><p>Namrata is the Technical Manager for the Asia-Pacific region in Phenomenex and is based in Sydney, Australia. As a member of the global technical team, she is responsible for assisting external customers as well as internal marketing and sales teams of Phenomenex for multifarious technical queries. She specifically support company’s bio-products portfolio through external and internal seminars/webinars, trainings and also contribute in biologics related technical content creation.</p><p>Before joining Phenomenex she had worked as a Product Specialist and spent several years in stationary phase chemistry, column manufacturing and method development groups in a German company Bischoff Chromatography GmbH.</p><p>Namrata has a post graduate degree with specialization in Analytical Chemistry. Her competence and focus lies in biotherapeutics characterization through liquid chromatography, antibodies and oligonucleotide chemistry, gene therapy and new bio-therapeutic modalities.</p></blockquote>

Phenomenex: Solid Phase Extraction Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks

Solid Phase Extraction Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks

Identify the common challenges associated with solid phase extraction methods.

<p><strong>Our guest speakers will discuss automation within their lab and how the Andrew+ liquid handling robot has helped streamline their sample preparation workflows for proteomic analysis.</strong></p><p>Automation is fast becoming a priority for labs who are looking to improve liquid handling pipetting procedures for simple, yet critical, protocols. The automation of liquid handling procedures allows labs to streamline workflows, helping to improve.</p><ul><li><strong>Reproducibility - Laboratory automation eliminates most human errors resulting in more reliable data and improved productivity.</strong></li><li><strong>Productivity - Andrew+ combines the flexibility of single channel pipetting (0.2 μL to 10 mL) with the higher throughput of multichannel pipetting.</strong></li><li><strong>Health in the Lab - Pipetting requires repetitive movements (of up to 500 times per day for the average user) that can lead to Musculo-skeletal disorders like repetitive strain injury. The use of automated liquid handling reliefs users from this high throughput pipetting burden, helping to improve health within the lab setting.</strong></li></ul><h4>Testimonials from our guest speakers</h4><h5><strong>Dr Harry Whitwell, Imperial College London</strong></h5><p>Andrew+ has been a huge asset to the group and is used continuously to support routine sample prep from protein assay to digestion, desalting, peptide assay, sample-standardisation, plate formatting and study reference generation, helping to substantially minimise batch-variation. Data from repeated dilution series across months shows excellent reproducibility in pipetting accuracy and stability with inter-assay CV &lt;5% and R2 above 0.99.</p><h5><strong>Dr Pavel Shliaha, MRC</strong></h5><p>In our lab, we use automation in attention-heavy workflows, e.g. concentration normalisation and SPE. The main workflows that we are using the Andrew+ is for concentration normalisation for proteomics. We also plan to use it for SPE for proteomics. My favourite things about the Andrew+ robot are as follows: user interface, great technical support, ability to easily switch pipettes, without the necessity for calibration.</p><h5><strong>Dr Colleen Maxwell, University of Leicester</strong></h5><p>We previously found it a major challenge to find sample preparation solutions to match the large scale required for our large cohort clinical proteomics studies without compromising on flexibility – we used to rely on laborious protocols requiring manual pipetting steps in small batches, we have found that these are no longer suitable, and are likely to introduce unwanted batch effects over the long term. Andrew+ has revolutionised our workflows, offering versatility beyond standard bottom-up proteomics digestion and clean-up. Andrew+ is such an adaptable system, so has had a transformative impact on all aspects of experimental design, and has been adopted throughout all our bottom-up proteomics workflows at the van Geest Multiomics Facility in the University of Leicester.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Presenter:&nbsp;</strong>Dr Harry Whitwell (Lecturer and Proteomics Platform Lead, Imperial College London)</p><p>Dr Harry Whitwell has been proteomic lead at the National Phenome Centre at Imperial College London since June 2020. Alongside this position, he was appointed Lecturer in Proteomics and Integrative Data Analysis in October 2023. Building on funding MRC, EPSRC and BBSRC, he has established a far-reaching facility, supporting projects across the UK. His research focuses on combining multiple analytical modalities to understand disease including mass spec-imaging, proteomics and network-based data analysis techniques.</p><p><strong>Presenter:&nbsp;</strong>Dr Pavel Shliaha (Head of Proteomics and Metabolomics, MRC, Laboratory of Medical Sciences)</p><p>Dr Pavel Shliaha completed his Ph.D. in proteomics at the laboratory of Professor Kathryn Lilley in Cambridge, UK, focusing on organelle proteomics. He then pursued a postdoctoral project in Professor Ole Jensen's group at the University of Southern Denmark, concentrating on histone PTM profiling and intact protein analysis. Pavel briefly worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a postdoc before moving to MSD (New Jersey). Throughout his career, Pavel has been interested in automation and high-throughput sample processing. In particular, he has experience working with Hamilton Star, Opentrons, and Andrew+ systems.</p><p><strong>Presenter: </strong>Dr Colleen Maxwell (Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Leicester)</p><p>Colleen is a post-doctoral research associate at the Leicester van Geest Multiomics Facility at the University of Leicester. She completed her undergraduate studies in Chemistry at Imperial College London, graduating in 2019. During this time, she spent a year working in a pharmaceutical company, where she gained her initial exposure to analytical chemistry and mass spectrometry. Motivated by her interest in this field, Colleen pursued a PhD at the University of Leicester, focusing on the use of shotgun and targeted proteomics to develop and validate multiplexed biomarker panels for coronary artery disease. After completing her PhD in 2023, she continued her research as a postdoctoral associate, expanding her work to include new projects that integrate deep cardiac MRI phenotyping with proteomics in collaboration with the cardiac imaging team at Leicester. Colleen is passionate about the automation and standardisation of proteomics to ensure highly reproducible and high-throughput biomarker studies in large clinical cohorts</p></blockquote>

Waters Corporation: Streamlined Proteomics with the Power of Andrew+

Streamlined Proteomics with the Power of Andrew+

How the Andrew+ liquid handling robot has helped streamline their sample preparation workflows for proteomic analysis.

LCMS webinars focusing on Sample prep - page 16