Pharmaceutical Contract Research Organization Teams Up with SCIEX and Eksigent to Accelerate Use of Dried Blood Spot Analysis for Drug Discovery and Development

Cost savings and higher productivity attract pharmaceutical scientists to push the limits in bioanalysis

Listen to today's Mass Spectator Podcast: Dried Blood Spot Analysis in Drug Discovery and Development.  Shane Needham, Ph.D., Laboratory Director, Alturas Analytics Inc. (4 min. 21 sec)

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 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 SCIEX QTRAP^® 5500 System and the Eksigent ExpressHT Ultra LC system. The 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 SCIEX as well as the power of the Eksigent system also reduce the time needed to conduct analysis, boosting productivity. 

Shane Needham, Ph.D., Laboratory Director, Alturas Analytics Inc.

"Dried blood spot analysis is a technique that can be used to solve complex bioanalytical problems.  Recent gains in sensitivity in analytical instrumentation have opened up remarkable new possibilities for pharmaceutical companies to take advantage of dried blood spot analysis.  By providing the highest sensitivity instrumentation on the LC/MS market today, SCIEX and Eksigent have helped to change the way we look at this type of analysis.  The DBS technique can be utilized with other matrices, such as urine, plasma and tears.  This technique, pioneered by Alturas, is known as dried matrix spot (DMS) analysis.  Pharmaceutical companies that embrace the DBS and DMS advancements will certainly gain a competitive advantage."

Dave Hicks, Vice President and General Manager of the Pharmaceutical and Academic Business, SCIEX

"SCIEX continues to push the limits in the development of new workflows that add value for our customers.  As a trusted partner, we strive to understand the critical needs of pharmaceutical companies in their use of dried blood spot analysis with the breakthrough capabilities of our QTRAP technology.  The combination of our leading technology with Alturas' expertise and the Ekisgent technology creates a new value proposition that is unmatched in the industry."

Don Arnold, General Manager of Eksigent

"The expanded use of Eksigent technology for dried blood spot analysis represents another example of how our microLC solutions can be applied to challenging areas that require high sensitivity and low-flow rates.  As we continue to expand our success beyond the proteomics market, we look forward to working more closely with pharmaceutical companies to unlock the power of Eksigent technology for drug discovery and development."    

Press Conference at Pittcon

The companies will discuss this new collaboration in further detail at the SCIEX press conference today at 11 a.m. ET at Pittcon in Atlanta. 

Media Resources

SCIEX mass spectrometry portfolio

Eksigent product portfolio