In today’s academic research environment, speed and precision are everything. Whether you're analyzing trace organic compounds, processing environmental extracts, or running a high-throughput metabolomics project, one bottleneck continues to slow down even the most well-equipped labs: solvent evaporation.If your lab still relies on aging hot plates or hand-drying methods, you’re not alone. But the consequences are real: inconsistent recovery, lost analytes, and valuable hours wasted each week.<h3>The Hidden Cost of Manual Evaporation</h3>Many academic labs were built on traditional sample prep methods. But as research needs evolve and sample volumes increase, these outdated tools can no longer keep up.Manual evaporation doesn’t just slow workflows—it undermines reproducibility.Hot plates can over-dry samples or introduce uneven heating that degrades sensitive compounds. Open evaporation risks contamination. And when multiple students share equipment, timing differences from sample to sample introduce variability that shows up later as noisy chromatography or inconsistent quantitation.Students and faculty alike often report frustration with drying steps taking far too long, especially when preparing dozens of samples for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.organomation.com/preparing-samples-for-lc-ms/ms-analysis?hsLang=en">LC-MS</a> or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.organomation.com/preparing-samples-for-gc-ms/ms-analysis?hsLang=en">GC-MS workflows</a>. In some cases, samples left unattended can be partially lost or require re-preparation entirely.For grant-funded research, that wasted time and material adds up quickly.<h3>A Better Way: Controlled Nitrogen Blowdown</h3>Nitrogen blowdown evaporation replaces guesswork with control. A steady stream of inert nitrogen combined with gentle, regulated heat speeds evaporation while protecting sensitive analytes.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/products?category=362&amp;manufacturerItems=540">Systems from Organomation </a>are designed specifically for sample preparation—not as improvised solutions or general lab accessories, but as purpose-built tools for consistent concentration.The result is straightforward:<ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>Faster dry-downs</li><li>Better recoveries</li><li>Improved reproducibility</li><li>Less hands-on time</li></ul>So researchers can focus on generating data instead of babysitting samples.<h3>Why Academic Labs Choose the N-EVAP</h3>Research labs rarely process identical samples all day.One student may be concentrating a small organic extract, another working with aqueous environmental samples, and a third reducing a larger crude matrix—all at the same time. That variability is exactly where many batch systems fall short.The<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/products?category=362&amp;manufacturerItems=540&amp;search=n-evap"> N-EVAP</a> transforms sample preparation uncertainty into control through radical flexibility.Unlike systems that force you to work around equipment constraints, the N-EVAP’s individual per-sample valves let you adjust gas flow, temperature exposure, and needle positioning for each sample—simultaneously.This isn’t theoretical flexibility. It means you can:<ul><li>Concentrate a 10 mL aqueous sample</li><li>Reduce a 5 mL organic extract</li><li>Evaporate a 50 mL environmental sample</li></ul>—all in the same run, without compromise.<blockquote><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.organomation.com/blog/manual-to-automated-solvent-drying-is-it-worth-the-switch">Learn how the University of Cincinnati achieved 20x faster sample prep with the N-EVAP evaporator.</a></blockquote><ul><li>For academic programs handling variable matrices, this eliminates the false choice between batch efficiency and analytical precision. Each sample gets exactly the conditions it needs, preserving analyte integrity while maintaining throughput. &nbsp;</li><li>Available in configurations from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/products/2352">6</a> to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://lcms.labrulez.com/products/1911">45 </a>positions—with optional digital controls on larger models—the system scales easily from small teaching labs to large research groups without forcing workflow changes. &nbsp;</li><li>It’s built for scientists who want control over their experiments, not workarounds. &nbsp;</li><li>Our evaporators are the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.organomation.com/blog/why-organomation-is-the-most-cited-blowdown-evaporator-brand-in-u.s.-epa-methods">most cited nitrogen blowdown sample concentrators</a> in standardized EPA methods, making Organomation the trusted, fail proof choice.</li></ul><h3>Built for Chromatography Workflows</h3>Since 1959, Organomation has focused exclusively on sample preparation. That specialization shows in the details that matter most to chromatography labs: uniform heating, consistent gas distribution, compatibility with common vial formats, and rugged construction that stands up to daily use in shared academic spaces.Whether you're preparing samples for LC-MS, GC-MS, or other analytical methods, nitrogen blowdown helps ensure:<ul><li>Faster turnaround between experiments</li><li>Consistent recoveries</li><li>Fewer re-runs</li><li>Less student labor tied up in drying steps</li></ul>Which ultimately means more time spent on analysis, interpretation, and publication.<h3>Prove the Time Savings for Yourself</h3>Upgrading your evaporation workflow can clearly improve efficiency—but how much time would your lab actually save? ➔ Rather than guessing, you can calculate it.Organomation’s free <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://explore.organomation.com/evaporation-time-calculator-excel-download">Evaporation Time Savings Calculator</a> lets you enter your real lab conditions—sample counts, volumes, current dry-down times, and run frequency—to quantify exactly how much time nitrogen blowdown could save each week, month, or semester.For many academic labs, the results are eye-opening:<ul><li>Hours of student and staff time reclaimed</li><li>Faster LC-MS/GC-MS queues</li><li>Reduced bottlenecks before analysis</li><li>Hard numbers that help justify equipment purchases in grants and budgets</li></ul>In just a few minutes, you’ll have concrete data showing whether flexible evaporation makes financial and workflow sense for your lab.<blockquote>👉 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://explore.organomation.com/evaporation-time-calculator-excel-download">Download the Evaporation Time Savings Calculator and see what your lab could save.</a></blockquote>

Is Your University Lab Losing Time and Data in Sample Prep? Here’s How to Fix It

News from LabRulezLCMS Library - Week 17, 2026

🎤Brad Haubrich (Touro University Nevada )Neglected and opportunistic infectious diseases affect some of the world’s most vulnerable populations—but often receive the least attention from traditional drug discovery pipelines.In this episode of Concentrating on Chromatography, host David Oliva sits down with Brad Haubrich to explore how early-stage drug discovery is being applied to fungal and parasitic pathogens, including those responsible for neglected tropical diseases and infections that disproportionately affect immunocompromised patients.Brad shares how his lab approaches drug discovery when the pathogen is eukaryotic—and therefore biologically similar to humans—making selectivity one of the biggest challenges. The conversation covers:<ul><li>What defines neglected and opportunistic diseases—and why commercial incentives often fall short</li><li>Target-based vs. phenotypic drug discovery and when each approach makes sense</li><li>Using binding kinetics and residence time to improve selectivity and reduce off-target effects</li><li>Where chromatography, metabolomics, and mass spectrometry still play a critical role—even when not front-and-center</li><li>The growing (and realistic) role of AI in drug discovery, especially for underfunded disease areas</li><li>Why World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day (January 30) matters for raising awareness and accelerating progress</li></ul>This episode highlights how analytical chemistry, separation science, and biological insight intersect in the earliest stages of drug discovery—and why progress in this space depends as much on collaboration and curiosity as it does on technology.<h3>Video Transcription</h3>In this interview, Dr. Brad Haubrich discusses his research focus on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and opportunistic infections. His interest in this field originated during graduate and postdoctoral studies, particularly through work on African sleeping sickness. Neglected diseases are defined as conditions that predominantly affect populations in low- and middle-income countries, where both healthcare infrastructure and commercial incentives for drug development are limited. Similarly, opportunistic infections disproportionately impact immunocompromised individuals, including patients with cancer, transplant recipients, and those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy.A key challenge in this area is the limited commercial interest in drug discovery, resulting in fewer therapeutic options despite significant unmet medical needs. The research emphasizes fungal and parasitic pathogens, which present distinct challenges compared to bacterial targets, particularly due to shared biological pathways between pathogens and human hosts.<h4>Drug Discovery Strategies and Challenges</h4>The discussion highlights two complementary approaches used in the lab: target-based and phenotypic drug discovery. Target-based strategies involve identifying and biochemically characterizing specific pathogen proteins, while phenotypic approaches assess compound activity directly in living cells. Each approach has advantages and limitations, particularly in identifying molecular targets and ensuring biological relevance.A major scientific challenge is achieving selectivity. Because eukaryotic pathogens share many proteins with human cells, identifying compounds that selectively inhibit pathogen targets without affecting host systems is difficult. To address this, the lab incorporates binding kinetics as an early screening parameter. Instead of relying solely on traditional potency metrics, this approach evaluates how long a compound interacts with its target, enabling the identification of molecules with prolonged, selective binding (pseudo-irreversible inhibition), which may improve therapeutic specificity.<h4>Role of Analytical Techniques and Chromatography</h4>Although chromatography is not central to all workflows in the lab, it remains critical in several areas. It is widely used by collaborators for compound purification and plays an important role in emerging projects focused on pharmacognosy, where bioactive compounds are isolated from natural sources such as desert flora.Chromatography, coupled with mass spectrometry, is also essential for metabolomics-based target identification. In phenotypic screening, where the molecular target is initially unknown, changes in metabolite profiles can provide insight into biochemical pathways affected by candidate compounds, supporting target deconvolution.<h4>Impact, Training, and Future Directions</h4>The success of research in neglected diseases is not solely measured by commercial outcomes but also by contributions to scientific knowledge and global health. Even incremental findings can support future therapeutic breakthroughs.The interview also emphasizes the role of students, particularly in academic medical settings, where participation in early-stage drug discovery provides valuable insight into the full pipeline from molecular discovery to clinical application.Looking ahead, artificial intelligence (AI) is identified as a key driver of innovation in drug discovery. AI tools can accelerate compound screening, predict bioactivity, and even suggest synthetic pathways. However, their effectiveness in neglected disease research is currently limited by the availability of large, high-quality datasets.<blockquote>This text has been automatically transcribed from a video presentation using AI technology. It may contain inaccuracies and is not guaranteed to be 100% correct.</blockquote><blockquote><h4>Concentrating on Chromatography Podcast</h4>Dive into the frontiers of chromatography, mass spectrometry, and sample preparation with host David Oliva. Each episode features candid conversations with leading researchers, industry innovators, and passionate scientists who are shaping the future of analytical chemistry. From decoding PFAS detection challenges to exploring the latest in AI-assisted liquid chromatography, this show uncovers practical workflows, sustainability breakthroughs, and the real-world impact of separation science. Whether you’re a chromatographer, lab professional, or researcher you'll discover inspiring content!You can find Concentrating on Chromatography Podcast in podcast apps:<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1wZg67rCjoGju4yhqxI3tL">Spotify</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/tz/podcast/concentrating-on-chromatography/id1788429185">Apple podcast</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podscan.fm/podcasts/concentrating-on-chromatography">podscan</a></li></ul>and on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/@ChromatographyTalk/videos">YouTube channel</a></blockquote>

Drug Discovery Where the Market Doesn’t Go: Targeting Neglected & Opportunistic Pathogens

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Organomation, founded in 1959, designs and manufactures high-quality nitrogen evaporators and extraction systems. Known for innovation and durability, their lab instruments are used globally for efficient sample preparation with strong customer support.

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Bruker

Shimadzu Corporation

The increasing popularity of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and the increasing problem of food fraud have provided the need for quality and authenticity control. Typical problems are the mislabeling of protected designation of origin (PDO) or edible oil adulteration. In this presentation we give an overview about the capabilities of different mass spectrometric methods to accurately determine the PDO of EVOO.
<ul>
<li>Multi-class LC-MS and GC-MS methodologies together with statistical methods enable the discrimination between different PDOs, identifying potential origin markers.</li>
<li>The combined use of non-targeted and targeted approaches enhances the outcome of the study. GC-APCI-QTOF preserves the pseudo-molecular ion information, which is a great advantage and facilitates the identification.</li>
<li>Co-eluting isomers maybe PDO markers and these can be identified and characterized by timsTOF technology.</li>
<li>Rapid LC-free, magnetic resonance mass spectrometry (MRMS) analysis was used for mapping and quality control assessment of EVOO using statistical methods which allows for clustering according to geographical origin, harvesting year, cultivation practice and the oil production procedure.</li>
</ul>
<h5>Key Topics</h5>
<ul>
<li>Introduction to food authenticity using the example of EVOO and the application of new software tools, in combination with UHPLC-QTOF and GC-APCI-QTOF, to identify origin markers.</li>
<li>Introduction into timsTOF technology and the separation of isomeric markers by timsTOF.</li>
<li>Application of LC-free, magnetic resonance mass spectrometry (MRMS) for rapid quality control assessment of extra virgin olive oil.</li>
</ul>
<h5>Who should attend?</h5>
<ul>
<li>Scientist working in the field of food research and foodomics interested in determining authenticity and/or adulteration of edible oils.</li>
<li>Scientists wishing to learn about powerful new techniques to separate isobaric isomers by mass spectroscopic techniques.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
Presenter: Dr. Carsten Baessmann
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Dr. Carsten Baessmann is responsible for the development of new mass spectrometry-based solutions in the applied markets. His responsibilities include managing collaborations with leading researchers in food, environmental, forensics and clinical analysis. He is also responsible for driving the necessary hardware and software development. Dr. Baessmann holds a PhD in physical chemistry from the Technical University of Munich in the development of new mass spectrometric and laser spectroscopic methods. He has held various management positions in research and development and application development at Bruker for 22 years.
</blockquote>

Pixabay/engin akyurt: Application of new mass spectrometric methods and workflows to determine authenticity of food

Application of new mass spectrometric methods and workflows to determine authenticity of food

High-resolution, accurate-mass (HRAM) mass spectrometers (MS) are a class of MS instrumentation with capability to resolve complex sample matrix and to allow identification of compounds by measuring their accurate masses.
In particular, those coupled to liquid chromatograph (HRAM LC/MS) have been used extensively for structural elucidation of unknown compounds primarily in chemical industry (impurity analysis) and biological researches (proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics), but also increasingly in forensic science, food safety and environmental testing. Given the recent reduction of instrumentational cost, it will not take many more years until HRAM analysis becomes a versatile tool for all industries and researches. 
The key performance attribute underlying all application fields is mass measurement accuracy (MMA) as it affords molecular specificity and reduction of false positive results. MMA is given in the specification of HRAM instruments in parts-per-million (ppm), frequently stating a result of a set of representative measurements e.g. “&lt;1 ppm RMS”. However, this by itself does not convey how repeatably and reproducibly this MMA can be achieved. 
The webinar describes various metrics that are relevant to statistical interpretation of MMA, which explain why mass resolution of 30,000 is more than sufficient for mass measurement at sub-ppm accuracy. Using the Shimadzu LCMS-9030 quadrupole time-of-flight MS, the rationale and strength of instrument stability for consistently achieving sub-ppm MMA has been demonstrated in small molecules.
Learning objectives:
Discuss how various parameters affect the accuracy of mass measurement Demonstration of mass drift caused by temperature change Learn how to assess whether a HRAM MS is practically capable of measuring at sub-ppm mass accuracy
<blockquote>
Presenter: Atsuhiko (Ash) Toyama, PhD (MS Application Specialist, Analytical &amp; Measuring Instruments Division, Shimadzu Corporation)
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Ash Toyama has 10 years of proteomics research experience. His areas of expertise include not only proteomics but also quantitative mass spectrometry with particular focus on bioanalysis, metabolomics and endocrinology. At Shimadzu Corporation he played roles in academic research collaborations, application development and specification development of mass spectrometers. Ash holds a Master of Science degree in Biochemistry from University of Cambridge, UK, and was granted a Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences from University of Tokyo for his research on clinical proteomics.
</blockquote>

Shimadzu: Understand the rationale behind the Q-TOF LC/MS that stably sustains sub-ppm mass accuracy.

Understand the rationale behind the Q-TOF LC/MS that stably sustains sub-ppm mass accuracy.

Various metrics that are relevant to statistical interpretation of MMA, which explain why mass resolution of 30,000 is more than sufficient.

LCMS webinars focusing on LC/TOF - page 49

Application of new mass spectrometric methods and workflows to determine authenticity of food

Understand the rationale behind the Q-TOF LC/MS that stably sustains sub-ppm mass accuracy.

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Drug Discovery Where the Market Doesn’t Go: Targeting Neglected & Opportunistic Pathogens

Is Your University Lab Losing Time and Data in Sample Prep? Here’s How to Fix It

News from LabRulezLCMS Library - Week 17, 2026