OpAns is a contract research company with a history of providing regulated (GLP) and non-regulated analytical services to support pharmaceutical research and development. Recently, OpAns expanded its product offering to include regulated (CLIA) clinical diagnostic assays. The result is a diversified customer base where all desire rapid turnaround on relatively small sets of samples (tens to hundreds).
This presentation describes our implementation of an automated, easy-to–use system for performing a variety of assays within one day on a single instrument system. Although the system is not ultra high-throughput (200 to 300 samples per day), the automation and flexibility has increased our efficiency and productivity on multiple MS/MS instrument platforms (Agilent, Thermo) for a variety of analytes (e.g., Drugs of Abuse, Steroids, Vitamins).
The solution described in this presentation contains the following components:
- A standard CTC PAL autosampler coupled to an HPLC pump and triple quadrupole mass spectrometer; all are controlled using the mass spectrometer’s software (e.g., MassHunter, Xcaliber)
- ITSP SPE devices and tray from MicroLiter Analytical Supplies, Inc.
These components support the following workflow:
- Minimal sample preparation, such as
- Centrifigation of urine and serum/plasma matrices to remove particles/clots
- Precipitation of proteins from whole blood matrices
- Stabilization of the analytes in the sample matrix.
- The samples are transferred into vials or 96-well plates.
- The PAL is loaded with samples, ITSP devices, and solvents.
- A sample queue is created in the mass spectrometer’s control software.
- As each sample is analyzed on the MS/MS syytem, the next sample is being prepared by the PAL.
- The data is processed post-run and the results reported.
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