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Oct 16, 2024 | 
theanalyticalscientist.com | Markella Loi
The success of the mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic has supercharged the field of nucleotide-based therapies more broadly. Can analytical science rise to the challenge of increasing complexity?
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Oct 6, 2024 | 
theanalyticalscientist.com | Markella Loi
Do analytical scientists have a moral responsibility to protect our planet?
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Oct 3, 2024 | 
theanalyticalscientist.com | Markella Loi
New HPLC-MS method for nitrosamine testing, library matching solution for EI-MS-based compound identification, Ian Wilson’s honorary PhD – and more mass spec news Cleaning Up the Mass Spec Source A nanopore ion source developed by researchers at Brown University directly delivers ions of amino acids and peptides into high vacuum, circumventing the typical sample losses associated with conventional electrospray ionization (ESI) in mass spectrometry. The new ion source shows promise for...
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Sep 9, 2024 | 
theanalyticalscientist.com | Markella Loi
Our mesolithic ancestors used to chew on pitch materials not only to create an adhesive glue for their tools – but also for fun when they were bored. However, this habit might have been detrimental to their oral health, according to a study that investigated oral microbiome compositions from 10,000 years ago (1).
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Aug 26, 2024 | 
thepathologist.com | Markella Loi
Many rare diseases have a complex presentation with overlapping symptoms – and patients are often misdiagnosed or subjected to multiple “process-of-elimination” tests. Microarray analysis, optical genome mapping, and short-read exome sequencing make up the standard approach to identifying rare disease markers. But these methods fail to provide answers in more than 50 percent of cases, necessitating further tests and medical procedures.
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Aug 1, 2024 | 
theanalyticalscientist.com | Markella Loi
Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive tumor types, characterized by chemotherapy-resistant and very “stiff” lesions – making it challenging to treat. Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina recently developed a promising new agent, LXG6403, that could help overcome these issues – targeting the driver of this aggressive tumorigenesis and progression, a protein known as lysyl oxidase (LOX).
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Jul 24, 2024 | 
theanalyticalscientist.com | Markella Loi
Intraoperative mass spec has been on the rise for some time – from Zoltan Takats’ iKnife to Livia Eberlin’s MasSpec Pen. Yet technical issues as simple as power requirements are still limiting the full potential of mass spec in surgical rooms. In a May 2024 study, Michael Keating and the rest of Eberlin’s team – in collaboration with Orbitrap pioneer Alexander Makarov – have presented a solution to this challenge: running the MasSpec Pen with Orbitrap on just battery power.
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Jul 16, 2024 | 
theanalyticalscientist.com | Markella Loi
It is nearly time for the 52nd International Symposium on High Performance Liquid Phase Separations and Related Techniques – with five busy days full of impactful separation science ahead!The Analytical Scientist team is here with our top picks to help you find your way through the packed schedule. The theme for this year? (Hint: I’ve already written the word impactful twice.
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Jul 14, 2024 | 
theanalyticalscientist.com | Markella Loi
Advancing Spectral Microcombs. A new microcomb laser device could improve spectroscopic sensing, according to a new study by the University of Rochester. Despite being widely applied in spectral and optical systems, reconfigurability and decreased power efficiency remain a significant challenge to the development of microcomb lasers. And that’s why Jingwei Ling and his colleagues developed an on-chip microcomb laser with a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic integrated circuit (PIC).
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Jul 11, 2024 | 
theanalyticalscientist.com | Markella Loi
Many migraine patients experience auras – a combination of visual and sensory disturbances, proceeding the one-sided headache attacks. But why is this happening? A new study revealed that cerebrospinal fluid carries proteins to pain-signaling sensory nerves, where they bind – activating the neurons and triggering the migraine. The researchers employed mass spectrometry and analyzed the proteins released during migraine attacks.
