Developing a new sample prep method should be systematic to ensure ruggedness, and can be done quickly with the right tools. The days of using a vacuum manifold are gone, along with the variability and long extraction times incurred. Today’s options provide an array of positive pressure systems that process a wide range of sample matrices, varying in viscosities.

So you’ve decided that you need to develop some new methods and one of the biggest challenges is the cost of developing and validating new methods. So, what to do to speed up the process?

Many Labs today are faced with the challenge of having to do more with existing personnel and space. When looking at developing or modifying a LC/MS or GC/MS assay, one of the most important steps is the sample prep.

This is a question that I am often asked by very smart people that just haven’t had time to learn the process. An optimized sample preparation method is critical for an accurate, specific, robust clinical LC-MS/MS assay. A good sample prep method can improve accuracy and precision, provide longer LC column lifetime, and keep your LC-MS/MS system clean.

Most clinical and forensic labs have a used a traditional approach for drug testing called screen with reflex to confirmation. This involves analyzing samples using an immunoassay technique that identifies a drug class. Positive immunoassay results are then analyzed by a second more specific method, like GC-MS or LC-MS/MS, to identify and quantitate specific drug analytes.  

LC/MS/MS seems to be the gold standard in sample analysis nowadays. However, some labs are still analyzing samples using GC/MS. The majority of published peer-reviewed articles are for LC/MS/MS, so those working with GC/MS instrumentation may not know how to change the sample preparation to better fit GC/MS.

Analytical laboratories using techniques such as LC-MS/MS or GC-MS are continuously searching for ways to increase throughput, reduce turnaround times and lower costs. Sample prep is often an underestimated component in this process, but is a critical step that removes matrix interferences, concentrates samples, and also protects expensive analytical instrumentation.