Waters has added the metabolomics programme at Georgetown University Medical Centre to its Centers of Innovation programme. The programme supports scientists making breakthroughs in health and life science research, food safety, environmental protection and sports medicine.

“Professor Fornace and his laboratory have made important and highly-cited contributions to the understanding of key signalling events in cancer. His research in disease metabonomes and biomarker research is state of the art,” said Tim Riley, the director of the programme.

“The field of metabolomics has really taken off in the last six years or so,” said Professor Fornace, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology at the centre. “It’s a demanding area of science, and since quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry came on line, there has been an exponential increase in interest in metabolomics and the number of publications in this field. We are very pleased Waters has taken an interest in our research.”

Metabolomics data generated by the laboratory’s ACQUITY UPLC and Xevo G2 QTof LC–MS systems will contribute to the Georgetown Database of Cancer, a project that has compiled metabolomics data and other information from 4000 breast cancer patients to better predict the response to various cancer therapies based on patient’s genetic profiles.

For more information about the programme visit 

www.waters.com/waters/nav.htm?cid=10176245

 and for more about Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center visit 

Articles

News

Waters has added the metabolomics programme at Georgetown University Medical Centre to its Centers of Innovation programme.

Medical centre joins innovation programme

Vitamin D is vital in the health of teeth and bones, and plays a role in many other systems within the body. A new method has been developed that researchers claim provides more accurate and reliable LC–MS–MS detection of the vitamin than ever before.

Vitamin D is produced in two forms, D2 and D3, and LC–MS–MS is commonly used for the separation and quantification of these major metabolites. However there is concern that these methods may be compromised by overlapping peaks and identical masses of interfering epimers and isobars, resulting in inaccuracies in measurements. 

In the study, a positive ion electrospray ionization (ESI) LC–MS–MS method was used in the multiple reaction monitoring mode for quantification. This method involved liquid-liquid extraction, tandem columns and identification and monitoring, via ESI, of three fragmentation transitions. The researchers report that the method is capable of detecting low levels of D3 and D2, together with chromatographic separation from the co-eluting epimers and isobars, circumventing other instrumental/analytical interferences without time-consuming derivatization and complex extraction techniques. 

The study concludes that the removal of uncertainties in vitamin D measurement could prove very useful in further rigorous clinical trials seeking to understand its role in health and disease.

A new method has been developed that researchers claim provides more accurate and reliable LC-MS-MS detection of Vitamin D than ever before.

D detection

Gelatin is a well-known biopolymer, especially prominent in the food industry where it is used in gummy sweets and marshmallows, but also used in the pharmaceutical industry for drug capsules and in the cosmetics industry. A new study is reporting a method for producing human-derived gelatin,

 which could provide a substitute for some of the 300  000 tons of animal-based gelatin produced annually. 

Gelatin is usually made from the bones and skin of cows and pigs, which may carry a risk of infectious diseases such as “Mad Cow” disease, and can lead to allergic reactions in some people. To avoid this, researchers have developed a method where human gelatin genes are inserted into a strain of yeast, that can produce gelatin with controllable features.

Gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry analysis were used to confirm that the results contained the necessary gelatin proteins. Further spectroscopic tests revealed characteristics consistent with those of gelatin. 

The researchers are still testing the human-yeast gelatin to see how well it compares with other gelatins in terms of its viscosity and other attributes.

A new study is reporting a method for producing human-derived gelatin, which could provide a substitute for some of the 300??000 tons of animal-based gelatin produced annually.

Jelly babies

An application of NMR/MRI technology has been developed for the characterization of flow and the detection of fast, small molecule separations within hyper-cross-linked polymer monolithic chromatography columns.

 As well as demonstrating the potential for direct and remote use of magnetic resonance in studying chromatographic processes, the researchers also report it could be an important step in developing portable chromatographic devices.

According to the study, the hyper-cross-linked polymer monolithic columns exhibited excellent ruggedness, with a transit time relative standard deviation of less than 2.1%, after more than 300 column volumes were pumped through at high pressure and flow. Using magnetic resonance imaging the researchers were able to take high-resolution intensity and velocity-encoded images of mobile phase flow through the monolithic columns. The study found that the presence of a polymer monolith within the capillary disrupted the flow profile of the mobile phase, resulting in an equal distribution of analytes and mobile phase throughout the monolith in a radial direction. In-line monitoring of chromatographic separations of small molecules at high flow-rates was also shown. 

Seeing separations

Gas chromatography (GC) is one of several core techniques for chemical analysis and is commonly used in analytical laboratories worldwide. Focusing primarily on separating volatile organic compounds, the applications of GC continue to grow in line with developments in the numerous manufacturing and industrial processes in which it is used. 

The principle of GC was first conceived in 1941 by A.J.P Martin who, along with others, suggested the possibility that the liquid phase in liquid/liquid partition chromatography could be replaced by a gas or vapour. In his paper Martin suggests that the increased rates of diffusion of an analyte in gas, when compared with a liquid, would reduce the time taken to reach the equilibrium required for retention and elution. Subsequent to this, Martin et al., produced the first gas chromatogram, which was published in 1951 and described the analysis of a series of fatty acids.

In the 60 years since this pioneering work, there have been significant improvements and developments of the technique, not limited to the GC analysis itself but reaching into the fields of sample handling, column type, stationary phase and method of detection. Modern industrial pressures place a spotlight on increasing sample throughput, reducing costs and consistently and comprehensively satisfying regulatory mandates. 

Traditional GC methods are both robust and reproducible. They offer a sensitive analytical approach to the accurate identification and quantification of organic compounds from within complex samples. Established GC methods have separation times that can cause significant delay, with full elution of analytes from a sample often taking 40–60 min. To increase the throughput of samples and the speed of analysis, Fast GC (FGC) and Ultra-Fast GC (UFGC) techniques have been developed.

This article will discuss some of the technical considerations and practical aspects of UFGC as a method and will consider several key applications of its use within various industrial settings.

This article discusses some of the technical considerations and practical aspects of UFGC as a method and considers several key applications of its use.

Ultra-Fast Gas Chromatography: Stepping onto The Analyte Superhighway

The need to quickly and effectively analyse an increasing number of toxic pesticides in food and environmental samples is vital. A method has been proposed that positively identifies over 100 common pesticides using a gas chromatography column with mass spectrometry detection. Retention times and primary mass ions for each compound are also presented.

A method has been proposed that positively identifies over 100 common pesticides using a GC column with MS detection.

An Improved Multi-Residue Pesticide Screening Method Using GC-MS

In this issue, we turn our attention to the technique of GC–MS and the potential it offers for high-definition screening. Janet Kelsey of The Column spoke to Alun Cole, director of ALMSCO International, Llantrisant, UK, to find out more about this versatile technique.

Janet Kelsey speaks to Alun Cole, director of ALMSCO International, to find out more about GC-MS and the potential it offers for high-definition screening.