June 2016 Issue of The Analytical Scientist

The world is in serious trouble when “Photoshop” is added as a major skill on the curricula vitae of scientists.

Using PTR-MS to track the chemistry of group emotion

Is a new and improved mass spectrometer the “Holy Grail” of chemical sensing?

Using Raman spectroscopy to track hyaluronic acid permeation in skin

Finding a research partner just got a lot easier

Near-infrared spectroscopy may allow non-invasive monitoring of premature babies

What’s new in business this month?

Researchers at the Dresden University of Technology can now determine the sex of a chicken before it hatches – in under a minute.

When disruptive technology comes along, it can be hard to defend the technique under attack for some applications – even if we have embraced it for decades.

Detecting and controlling mutagenic impurities in pharmaceuticals is challenging. What is ICH M7 and what do you need in your analytical toolbox?

When it comes to microsampling for quantitative bioanalysis, the devil is certainly in the details. But we should learn from our mistakes – not retreat back into convention.

Is now the right time for HPLC’s diminutive cousin to make a comeback in routine analysis?

Cancer is incredibly complex, posing enormous challenges beyond the biological field. Taking a multi-omic approach can help us make sense of this diverse set of diseases – and, ultimately, allow us to better understand ourselves as human beings.

Tom Metz, Integrative Omics Scientist and Metabolomics Technical Lead at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Washington State, USA), selects six papers that exemplify the power of multi-omics.

From hardcore peptide biochemist to translational scientist, it’s been an unconventional journey for Jennifer Van Eyk, Director of the Advanced Clinical Biosystems Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. Here, Jenny tells us what she’s learnt along the way.

When fighting food fraud, there are problems that analytical science alone cannot solve. We must work together to take a more inclusive and multidisciplinary approach that ensures true food integrity.

Are you ready for the “unthinkable” – your laboratory computer systems suffering a titanic failure? Disaster recovery plans are crucial insurance against the unexpected.

Sitting Down With... Jessica Prenni, Director of Research Core Facilities, Director of Proteomics & Metabolomics Facility, Colorado State University, USA.

Then & Now, with Amadeo Fernández-Alba, Professor at the University of Almeria, Spain.

In this application note, a mixture of four proteins was characterized in a single SEC measurement using multiple detectors. The generally consistent response to the RI to proteins makes it a useful total protein concentration detector, while the UV detector can be used to measure the concentration of individual proteins when the extinction coefficient is known. This is particularly useful for proteins that elute in the solvent peak making RI measurements unreliable. Finally, light scattering measurements allow each peak to be identified by its molecular weight.

The Morphologi G3-ID enables simultaneous physical and chemical characterization of particle samples, enabling outlier particles to be identified as being part of a product formulation or genuine foreign particle contaminants.