Pharmaceutical CRO Teams Up with AB SCIEX and Eksigent to Accelerate Use of Dried Blood Spot Analysis for Drug Discovery and Development

AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, and Alturas Analytics Inc., a leading provider of LC/MS contract research services for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, today announced a collaboration to accelerate the adoption of dried blood spot (DBS) analysis for drug discovery & development. This analysis is designed to help pharmaceutical companies save costs and increase productivity by simplifying the collection, storage and shipment of samples for pre-clinical and clinical studies in the drug development process.

As part of the collaboration, scientists at Alturas are using QTRAP® 5500 technology from AB SCIEX as well as novel micro-flow chromatography technology from Eksigent to further develop novel workflows based on microflow LC/MS (liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry) for dried blood spot analysis and validate them to ensure they meet Alturas' Quality Assurance requirements. The new workflows are designed to require smaller sample volumes and provide sensitivity and low coefficient of variations. Compared to traditional bioanalysis, dried blood spot analysis requires fewer animals during preclinical trials and less blood drawn during clinical trials. With this approach, scientists can obtain the same or better information than currently possible with traditional sampling techniques.

The viability of dried blood spot analysis in pharmaceutical science is enhanced by dramatic increases in sensitivity, which is available with the combination of the AB SCIEX QTRAP® 5500 System and the Eksigent ExpressHT Ultra LC system. The AB SCIEX QTRAP® 5500 System merges high sensitivity and speed on a platform that integrates quantitative and qualitative analysis, representing a more versatile type of triple quadrupole than other systems. The Eksigent system provides the advantages of high pressure micro-flow LC/MS and ease of operation.

The new workflows that Alturas scientists are developing for use across the industry utilize MRM3 capabilities - uniquely available on the QTRAP system - eliminate the interference traditionally associated with dried matrix spot analysis, help expand the limits of quantitation and improve selectivity to a level required by drug discovery scientists. The high performance of the AB SCIEX as well as the power of the Eksigent system also reduce the time needed to conduct analysis, boosting productivity.