Patrick Mathias, M.D., Ph.D., is a board-certified clinical pathologist and Associate Director of Informatics for UW Laboratory Medicine.

Lab medicine has large impact on the general practice of medicine. It is key to correctly diagnosing diseases and selecting the right treatments for patients. Dr. Mathias's goal is to combine technical and medical knowledge to fulfill the triple aim--reduce the per capita cost of health care, improve the health of populations and most importantly improve the patient experience of care.

Dr. Mathias earned his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. His clinical and research interests include clinical informatics, clinical chemistry and molecular diagnostics.

My lab performs research and clinical testing using mass spectrometry methods, develops new assays, and applies data analytics to enable improved quality and efficiency. My computational pathology efforts are aimed at building the capacity for advanced data analytics in the department through innovations in infrastructure, education, and research to facilitate data-informed decision making for clinical care, operations, and quality assurance.

This is a VIRTUAL 4-Day Course with 16 total contact hours. CE to be provided.


Overview:

Having completed your first steps into the wonderful world of data analysis with R, would you like to go further? You’ve learned the basics of R, so now it’s time to put that knowledge to work and tackle some interesting clinical applications. Along the way you will also be introduced to even more of capabilities of R and the tools developed by the amazing R community.

The 4-DAY ONLINE ONLY virtual (via Zoom) short course will be split between lecture sessions, individual problem solving, and a highly interactive group-level data mining of real data sets. Like the introductory course, this class will maintain the “no student left behind policy”. Students will be given time to solve problems taken from real-life laboratory work and to do some more advanced analysis on large scale data sets. All attendees will need access to a laptop with both R language and R Studio interface installed. Students may use Windows, Mac OSX or Linux environments. Both R and R studio are free and open-source.

Students should be prepared to continue to expand their skill in programming – which, as you learned in the introductory course (Data Science 101) can be a little frustrating, but not as frustrating as not being able to get the computer to do what you want at all!

Obtaining the Software

Instructions for installing the R language are here:
http://cran.r-project.org/

Instructions for installing R Studio are here:
http://www.rstudio.com/

Course Description

The course will cover:

1. Core concepts in reproducible research
2. Introduction to R-Markdown for report generation
3. Conceptual basis for keeping data “tidy”
4. Using the Import -> Tidy -> Transform -> Visualize -> Model -> Communicate pipeline
5. Data wrangling and manipulation operations such as filtering, grouping, summarizing
6. Data exploration and visualization with the ggplot2 library
7. Prediction with linear regression and classification with logistic regression
8. Database basics & connecting to databases
9. Putting it all together project: analysis of large mass spectrometry data set using exploratory data analysis

Course material will be provided electronically.

We are looking forward to our next FeMS Mass Spec Mixer coming up in March! Please join us on March 4th at 4pm PDT | 7pm EST | March 5th 11am AEST to hear from 3 more awesome transition-ers: Cameron Naylor, Saanghamitra Majumdar and Wout Bittremieux!

All are welcome, employers are encouraged!

Joshua is currently the Chief of Chemistry at NortonHealthcare. He earned his PhD in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University. He conducted postdoctoral research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology before completing a two-year clinical chemistry fellowship at University of Washington and 4 years as Assistant Professor at Weill Medical College. Joshua has special expertise developing and overseeing mass spectrometry assays in the clinical laboratory.

Guinevere received her PhD on exploring prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the well-known biomarker for prostate cancer, and its glycosylation by capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Currently, Guinevere performs her post-doctoral research at the Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics at the Leiden University Medical Center, in the group of prof. Manfred Wuhrer. She currently works on further expanding a mass spectrometry-based PSA glycosylation assay which she developed during her PhD. In addition, she explores the possibilities for the in-depth analysis of glycans and intact glycoproteins for biomarker discovery for other diseases as well as for the characterization of biopharmaceuticals. In 2017, Guinevere joined the organization committee of the Netherlands Area Biotech (NLab) Discussion group of CASSS. In 2019, she became a member of the scientific committee of the glycomics session, and a member of the early career committee, of MSACL EU. Her research interests are focused on bringing together researchers from the field of biomarker discovery with clinical laboratory professionals, ensuring a better translation of potential biomarkers to the clinic. Moreover, she is dedicated to convincing her fellow colleagues that glycosylation is an important subject and should not be neglected just because it is rather complicated.

Noortje is conducting her post-doctoral research at the Copenhagen Center for Glycomics at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Here, she aims to identify tissue glycans that are involved in disease initiation and progression. Previously, she worked as postdoc at the Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics at the Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands, where she received her PhD in 2019 on the development and application of mass spectrometry-based methods for the analysis of (antibody) glycosylation. Noortje’s enthusiasm for glycoproteomic-related research started early in her scientific career and this remains a key drive in her current work. She is interested in the development of mass spectrometric methods and data analysis protocols for addressing clinical research questions.

This is a VIRTUAL 4-Day Course with 16 total contact hours. CE to be provided.

--> COURSE DAYS <--

March 10 : Wednesday
March 11 : Thursday
BREAK
March 15 : Monday
March 16 : Tuesday

Did you ever encounter glycans, but you -kind of- neglected them as they seemed too complicated to characterize? Or did you just perform a glycan release to make the analysis of your protein a lot easier? Do you have no idea how to interpret your data when a glycan is present? Fear no more! We are here to provide you with the basics in the field of mass spectrometric glycomics and glycoproteomics.

The course will start with a historical overview on glycan research (i.e. how did glycans work their way up to being acknowledged as important study objects) and we will guide you through the maze of different nomenclatures. Moreover, although glycans are well known for their complexity, we will reveal to you the “rules of glycan structures” based on known biosynthetic pathways. This will be followed by an in-depth discussion on glyco(proteo)mic mass spectrometric technologies and workflows. In addition, different sample preparation steps will be covered. We will close-up with a session about glycomic biomarker discovery, as it can hardly be considered a coincidence that, for example, more than 80% of the currently used cancer biomarkers are glycosylated.

The course will run over 4 days and time will be split between lectures and workshops (e.g. how do you recognize a glycan in a mass spectrum and how do you assign it). While not everything can be covered within these 4 days we will ensure that you will know your “glyco-basics” in the end. Moreover, participants are encouraged to submit any specific glyco-questions they have prior to the course and we will try to discuss them during the course.

Brief outline of the course:

1. Historical overview of glycosylation research
2. Glycans from a chemical perspective
3. The biosynthetic pathway of N-glycans, O-glycan and glycosphingolipids
4. Biological function of glycans
5. Historical overview of glycoanalytics
6. How to analyze and interpret your glycan, glycopeptide and/or glycoprotein with mass spectrometry
7. Glycomic biomarker discovery - Finding the sweet spot of the disease

Guinevere received her PhD on exploring prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the well-known biomarker for prostate cancer, and its glycosylation by capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Currently, Guinevere performs her post-doctoral research at the Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics at the Leiden University Medical Center, in the group of prof. Manfred Wuhrer. She currently works on further expanding a mass spectrometry-based PSA glycosylation assay which she developed during her PhD. In addition, she explores the possibilities for the in-depth analysis of glycans and intact glycoproteins for biomarker discovery for other diseases as well as for the characterization of biopharmaceuticals. In 2017, Guinevere joined the organization committee of the Netherlands Area Biotech (NLab) Discussion group of CASSS. In 2019, she became a member of the scientific committee of the glycomics session, and a member of the early career committee, of MSACL EU. Her research interests are focused on bringing together researchers from the field of biomarker discovery with clinical laboratory professionals, ensuring a better translation of potential biomarkers to the clinic. Moreover, she is dedicated to convincing her fellow colleagues that glycosylation is an important subject and should not be neglected just because it is rather complicated.

Noortje is conducting her post-doctoral research at the Copenhagen Center for Glycomics at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Here, she aims to identify tissue glycans that are involved in disease initiation and progression. Previously, she worked as postdoc at the Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics at the Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands, where she received her PhD in 2019 on the development and application of mass spectrometry-based methods for the analysis of (antibody) glycosylation. Noortje’s enthusiasm for glycoproteomic-related research started early in her scientific career and this remains a key drive in her current work. She is interested in the development of mass spectrometric methods and data analysis protocols for addressing clinical research questions.

This is a continuation of the course from Part 1 and is not intended to be taken separately.

Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-based proteomics has been widely used for protein biomarker discovery and validation. When transitioning from discovery proteomics to targeted protein biomarker quantification, the MRM-based LC/MS method plays an important role in clinical research. To ensure analytical reproducibility and robustness, implementing standard flow-based triple quadrupole LC/MS system has tremendous benefit when involving a large cohort. This webinar will discuss the analytical performance under standard-flow and low LC flow conditions using the Agilent 6495 triple quadrupole LC/MS system.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Learning Objectives:

· Quantitative sensitivity, precision and accuracy of standard flow-based dynamic MRM method for targeted protein biomarker analysis using the Agilent 6495 LC/TQ

· Successful transfer of PromarkerD method for diabetic kidney disease research from nanoflow to standard flow

· When sample limited, a low flow LC system, Evosep One, coupled to Agilent 6495 LC/TQ could be used for high throughput studies

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Michelle Colgrave is a Professor of Food and Agricultural Proteomics in the School of Science at ECU, Australia. She is the Future Protein Lead in CSIRO Agriculture and Food, based at the Queensland Bioscience Precinct in Brisbane, Australia. Prof Michelle Colgrave is using mass spectrometry (MS) and proteomics to help identify key proteins that will benefit Australia's livestock and plant industries and improve human health. Prof Colgrave is working to identify novel proteins and characterise their function and post-translational modifications. Prof Colgrave is a Chief Investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science.

Richard Lipscombe is the Founding and Managing Director of Proteomics International. Richard is a protein chemist by training having completed his chemistry degree at Oxford University and a Doctorate in Immunology at London University. Richard moved to Perth in 1995 and managed the Protein Analysis Facility at the University of Western Australia, before stepping out of academia to co-found Proteomics International in 2001.
Richard's career has focused on industry based research and the translation of innovative technology into commercial products and services. He holds several patents and, almost uniquely, has taken a protein biomarker from concept to commercial diagnostic test, with the company's pioneering prognostic test for diabetic kidney disease, PromarkerD, now in the clinic.

From down under, this time we bring you two successful scientists bridging academia and industry: Prof. Michelle Colgrave and Dr. Richard Lipscombe. Prof Colgrave of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia focuses on applications of mass spectrometry based proteomics in food and agriculture, while Dr. Lipscombe heads Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd (PILL), an Australian company in the field of clinical mass spectrometry and diagnostics. Come and e-meet these two grand individuals in the Australian mass spectrometry field!

Stephen Master received his undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, and subsequently obtained his MD and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After residency in Clinical Pathology at Penn, he stayed on as a faculty member with a research focus in mass spectrometry-based proteomics as well as extensive course development experience in bioinformatics. After time as an Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, where he served as Director of the Central Lab and Chief of Clinical Chemistry Laboratory Services, he took a position at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia at Chief of Lab Medicine. One of his current interests is in the applications of bioinformatics and machine learning for the development of clinical laboratory assays. He would play with R for fun even if he weren't getting paid, but he would appreciate it if you didn't tell that to his department chair.

Randy Julian is the Founder and CEO of Indigo BioAutomation. Randy earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Purdue University. Dr. Julian worked for 14 years at Eli Lilly using mass spectrometry in natural product drug discovery, high throughput screening for RNA anti-viral compounds, and proteomics and metabolomics in animal models. Randy founded Indigo as a spin-out of Lilly. Indigo develops software that uses machine learning techniques to analyze data from laboratories across the US automatically. Dr. Julian is also is an Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at Purdue.

Level: Intermediate
Prereqs: Data Science 101 or 201 (or equivalent experience)

Overview: Machine learning techniques have been highly successful in driving the growth of Amazon, Google, Netflix, and other companies that rely on identifying patterns in big data. More importantly, these algorithms are beginning to revolutionize clinical diagnosis and mass spectrometry, from FDA-approved retinal image analysis to robust detection of mass spec chromatographic peaks. But ... what exactly is machine learning? How does it work? How can you apply it to your own data? In this course, we will help you sort through the hype and provide an introduction to machine learning, including an overview of common approaches, known pitfalls, and other important concepts. We will include practical instruction on applying machine learning algorithms using the R statistical language, so familiarity with R at the level of the material taught in Data Science 101 and/or 201 is desirable.

Nevan Krogan, PhD, is a molecular biologist, UC San Francisco professor, and director of the intensely interdisciplinary Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) under the UCSF School of Pharmacy. He is also a senior investigator at the Gladstone Institutes.

He led the work to create the SARS-CoV-2 interactome and assembled the QBI Coronavirus Research Group (QCRG), which includes hundreds of scientists from around the world. His research focuses on developing and using unbiased, quantitative systems approaches to study a wide variety of diseases with the ultimate goal of developing new therapeutics.

Nevan serves as Director of The HARC Center, an NIH-funded collaborative group that focuses on the structural characterization of HIV-human protein complexes. Dr. Krogan is also the co-Director of three Cell Mapping initiatives, the Cancer Cell Mapping Initiative (CCMI), the Host Pathogen Map Initiative (HPMI) and the Psychiatric Cell Map Initiative (PCMI). These initiatives map the gene and protein networks in healthy and diseased cells with these maps being used to better understand disease and provide novel therapies to fight them.

He has authored over 250 papers in the fields of genetics and molecular biology and has given over 350 lectures and seminars around the world. He is a Searle Scholar, a Keck Distinguished Scholar and was recently awarded the Roddenberry Prize for Biomedical Research.

Jacqueline Fabius obtained her undergraduate degree from Hamilton College in Comparative Literature and Spanish. She worked in media and management consulting for 11 years prior to joining the United Nations and later UCSF in the role of the Chief Operating Officer for the Quantitative Biosciences Institute, where she heads a number of initiatives including establishing relationships and collaborations as well as media and communication strategy for the institute. In alignment with QBI’s mission to bring young investigators and women scientists to the forefront at QBI, she started the Scholarship for Women from Developing Nations. Her focus is facilitating communication and networking across wide audiences ranging from scientists to lay audience.

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 respiratory disease is evolving during the current pandemic. New variants show enhanced replication and the potential to evade therapeutic antibodies. In the near future, variants may even evade first generation vaccines. The currently approved direct acting antiviral remdesivir targets the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase which is subject to rapid evolution as it is encoded by the viral RNA genome. In order to develop therapeutic approaches which act in a pan-coronavirus manner we and our colleagues at the QBI Coronavirus Research Group (QCRG) have mapped the human proteins (host factors) which multiple Coronaviruses rely on for replication. Through a rapid drug repurposing effort we have identified zotatifin, a clinical eIF4A inhibitor as a host factor targeted therapeutic. Zotatifin which is based on the natural product rocaglamide A works as a molecular glue to trap eIF4A on its target, the (+) RNA viral genome. Other examples of targeting essential host factors, including those for immune evasion will be discussed.

Chad Borges is an associate professor at Arizona State University with appointments in the School of Molecular Sciences and The Biodesign Institute. He has a B.S. in chemistry and a Ph.D. in Analytical Toxicology. Though he has extensive experience in quantifying small molecules by mass spectrometry, his research interests currently reside in characterizing and quantifying protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) for biomedical purposes. This includes application of a new form of bottom-up glycomics known as glycan “node” analysis; developing molecular markers of biospecimen integrity; and quantification of PTMs as indicators of disease.

Dr. Garrett has over 20 years of experience in the field of mass spectrometry spanning both instrument and application development. He received his PhD from the University of Florida, under Dr. Richard A. Yost, working on the first imaging mass spectrometry-based ion trap instrument. He has also developed MALDI-based approaches to analyze proteins in bacteria and small molecules in tissue specimens. His current interests include the translation of LC-HRMS, MALDI, DESI and LMJSSP in metabolomics to clinical diagnostics. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Florida, and an Associate Director for the Southeast Center for Integrated Metabolomics (SECIM).

Metabolomics describes the analysis of the small molecules present in our body and ingested from the surrounding environment (i.e. drugs, pesticides, etc.). The analysis of these metabolites has recently been utilized to discover new markers of disease and perturbed metabolic pathways. Metabolomic analyses can be performed with either targeted or untargeted measurements. In targeted studies, only a small subset of metabolites is analyzed and this prevalent in clinical analyses for measurements such as those for newborn screening. Untargeted measurements, however, study all possible small molecules in a single injection and heavily rely on the use of high resolution mass spectrometry to precisely measure the m/z values across many samples. Untargeted measurements are almost always coupled to either gas or liquid chromatography or ion mobility as the retention time or mobility provides an important secondary distinguishing characteristic of each specific metabolite. It is expected that both targeted and untargeted metabolomic measurements will have an important place in future clinical studies.

Given the growth of metabolomics over the past several years, the use of high resolution mass spectrometry has rapidly progressed. High resolution approaches to measure small molecules offer several advantages for clinical analyses such as confirmation via accurate mass of the precursor and product ions and an evaluation of the isotopic abundance. This short course will cover the application of high resolution mass spectrometry to both quantitative and semi-quantitative analyses with a focus on metabolomics.

Topics in this short course include: mass accuracy for identification, tandem mass spectrometry, quantitative aspects of high resolution mass spectrometry, identifying and measuring the metabolome, statistical analysis, ion mobility spectrometry, and liquid and gas chromatography coupled to high resolution MS.

Dr. Xin Yan received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Purdue University in 2015 under the supervision of Professor R. Graham Cooks. After graduation, she did her postdoctoral research with Professor Richard N. Zare at Stanford University.
Dr. Xin Yan joined the chemistry department, Texas A&M University as an assistant professor in the summer of 2018. Her research centers around the development and application of droplet chemistry in lipid/metabolite analysis, reaction acceleration, and new synthetic methods.

Lipids play a vital role in maintaining cellular functions. Altered lipid metabolism is currently considered a hallmark of many diseases, which highlights the importance of the characterization of lipid composition in understanding, diagnosing, and treating pathologies. Discrimination of isomeric species is challenging in lipidomics. In this talk, I will introduce the microdroplet electrochemical methods capable of resolving different types of isomers commonly encountered in lipid samples using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The methods take advantage of the voltage-controlled and dramatically accelerated electrochemical derivatization of lipid isomers in microdroplets to achieve structural elucidation. Applications of the electrochemical mass spectrometry methods in real sample analysis will also be included.

Laura Owen is a Consultant Clinical Scientist at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and honorary senior lecturer at the University of Manchester where she teaches chromatography and mass spectrometry at Master’s level. Laura is also proud to be the chair of the practical training committee of MSACL EU and a past member of the endocrinology committee. While working at Wythenshawe hospital and in collaboration with the Christie hospital she became interested in the limitations of immunoassay measurement especially when using it in the breast cancer population. Laura developed and implemented the UK’s first LC-MS/MS assay for oestradiol in an NHS UKAS accredited laboratory which was made available for patient care and clinical trials.

Mike Wright is the Scientific Director at the Drug Development Solutions division of LGC, in Fordham, Cambridgeshire, UK. His team work on the development of assays for the monitoring of drugs and biomarkers, as drug development tools, in a wide variety of matrices. Prior to working at LGC, Mike worked in clinical diagnostics developing LC-MS/MS services for health trusts in the UK and Australia. Mike teaches on LC-MS/MS applications, considerations and troubleshooting and has contributed to a number of online training programs including the AACC’s Introductory Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry certificate.

Coral is an experienced LC-MS/MS Technical Specialist at the Drug Development Solutions division of LGC, in Fordham, Cambridgeshire, UK. She is responsible for the development and validation of assays for the quantitative measurement of exogenous small molecules, biomarkers and small peptides in various human matrices. Prior to working at LGC, Coral worked with LC-MS/MS applications in food safety at the Irish Marine Institute. Coral provides training on method development best practices and teaches the chemistry basics that are fundamental to developing a robust LC-MS/MS assay.

Is your laboratory under pressure to purchase an LC-tandem MS or have the instruments arrived and your team are beginning on their mass spectrometry journey? This short course is designed for attendees implementing quantitative LC-tandem MS for patient testing who have laboratory medicine experience but no mass spectrometry training - clinical bench analysts, supervisors, R&D scientists, and laboratory directors.

After starting out with a basic chemistry refresher, theoretical concepts necessary for a robust implementation of clinical mass spectrometry will be presented, however, the main focus of the course will be on practical recommendations for:

• Starting with MSMS, LC and sample extraction parameters
  
• Choosing internal standards, solvents, and water, making reagents and calibrators
  
• How to fine tune sample preparation, LC and MSMS parameters to achieve the desired assay performance
  
• Pre-validation stress testing and method validation
  
• Preventative maintenance and troubleshooting
  
• Maintaining quality once your new LC-MS/MS assay has gone live
  

• LC-MS/MS system purchasing
  
• site preparation and installation (dos and don’ts)
  
• establishing data analysis & review criteria and an interface to the LIS
  

The course will be a steady mixture of lectures, tutorials and problem solving sessions with our goal being to present just enough theory so you can report high quality results, while opening a window to the depth and complexity of clinical mass spectrometry such that your appetite is whetted to learn more.

Previous exposure to the principles of clinical method validation, either theoretical or practical, is assumed.

Grace is an LC-MS/MS Applications Development Specialist at St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver BC. She is passionate about developing the most user friendly and streamlined LC-MS/MS assays as possible for routine use in the Special Chemistry Mass Spec Lab. She loves troubleshooting, especially when the cause of problem has been discovered and the issue solved!

Deborah French Ph.D., DABCC (CC, TC) is currently Assistant Director of Chemistry and Director of Mass Spectrometry at the University of California San Francisco Clinical Laboratories. Her work currently focuses on the development and validation of LC-MS/MS assays for small molecules, specifically therapeutic drug monitoring, steroid hormones and toxicology. Deborah received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. She subsequently completed a ComACC Clinical Chemistry postdoctoral fellowship under the direction of Dr Alan Wu at the University of California San Francisco and is now board certified in Clinical Chemistry and Toxicological Chemistry by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry.

Lorin Bachmann joined the VCU Department of Pathology in 2007. She currently serves as Co-Director of Clinical Chemistry, Co-Director of Point-of-Care Testing, Director of the New Kent Emergency Department Laboratory, Technical Advisor for the Operating Room Laboratory, Pathology Outreach and Clinical Trials, and Laboratory Director for multiple VCUHS outreach laboratories. Dr. Bachmann received her PhD in Molecular Medicine from the University of Virginia, followed by a fellowship in clinical chemistry and proteomics research at the University of Virginia. Dr. Bachmann is certified by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry.

Dr. Bachmann is active within the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), where she serves on the Board of Directors. She also serves as the Chair of the Chemistry and Toxicology Expert Panel for the Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute (CLSI).

Dr. Bachmann’s research interests include evaluation and validation of new clinical laboratory assays, clinical laboratory analyzer design, development of mass spectrometry-based assays for the clinical laboratory and standardization of laboratory testing. She serves as the Chair of the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP)/International Federation of Clinical Chemistry Laboratory (IFCC) Joint Lab Working Group, whose goal is to accomplish standardization of urine albumin methods to enable utility of clinical decision thresholds.

Dr. Bachmann has received numerous awards for her contributions to professional societies, education and research. She serves as principal investigator for multiple industry-sponsored studies.

This is a VIRTUAL 4-Day Course with 16 total contact hours. CE to be provided (16 hrs).



Online Format

This is a virtual version of the short course that has been presented at MSACL. This online course includes 2.5-5 hours of live lecture each day for four days. Using Zoom (live online lectures, breakout rooms for interactive sessions) and Google Classroom (forms and job aids for download, on demand short lecture videos) provides additional opportunities for interactive and self-paced learning, both during the four-day course and beyond.

The resources posted in Google Classroom will be available to registrants for at least 3 months. We can’t give you hands-on experience with cutting PEEK tubing or changing check valves in an online course. But the potential with a virtual platform for networking and updates with actionable information to help you with your daily LC-MS/MS clinical practice seems almost limitless.

Course Content Description

Is your laboratory under pressure to purchase an LC-tandem MS or is the ROI you wrote last year haunting you now? This short course is designed for attendees implementing quantitative LC-tandem MS for patient testing who have laboratory medicine experience but no mass spectrometry training - CLS bench analysts, supervisors, R&D scientists, and laboratory directors. Theoretical concepts necessary for a robust implementation of clinical mass spectrometry will be presented – but the emphasis is on practical recommendations for:

1. LC-MS/MS system purchasing
2. site preparation and installation
3. defining preliminary MSMS and LC parameters for your first method
4. selecting and optimizing sample preparation for your first method
5. choosing internal standards, solvents, and water, making reagents and calibrators
6. adjusting sample preparation, LC and MSMS parameters to achieve the desired assay performance
7. establishing data analysis & batch review criteria
8. pre-validation stress testing and method validation
9. preventative maintenance and troubleshooting
10. maintaining quality in production.

Our goal is to present just enough theory so you can report high quality results, while opening a window to the depth and complexity of clinical mass spectrometry such that your appetite is whetted to learn more. The IFCC Committee for Distance Learning published a curriculum guideline for post-graduate trainees in laboratory medicine in 2017. This course includes all of the IFCC mass spectrometry curriculum listed in the “Principles of Analysis X-MS” section, except that we focus only on triple quadrupole mass spectrometry; metabolomics, proteomics and inborn errors of metabolism are not discussed. See also this reference by one of the team of short course instructors “Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry education for clinical laboratory scientists”.

Previous exposure to the principles of clinical method validation, either didactic or practical, is assumed. A post-course online exam will be available, with a certificate of completion for those who take and pass the exam within the examination window of two weeks after the four day short course.