Panel discussion: the pros and pros of HRMS implementation in quantitative routines

Over decades, triple-quadrupole MS (TQMS) and high-resolution MS (HRMS) have served different purposes in testing laboratories.

However, now that boundary-breaking advancements of HRMS are enabling both quantitative and qualitative analyses, scientists are urged to rethink how HRMS should be positioned to maximize laboratory output and value. This free panel discussion welcomes the expert panelists to provide insights into the use of HRMS across a variety of fields, namely food safety, forensics and clinical research. The discussion will feature how HRMS compares with TQMS, main drivers for implementation, common challenges and opinions on what the future holds.

Presenter: Prof. Amadeo Fernández-Alba (Director, European Union Reference Laboratory for Pesticide Residues in Fruit & Vegetables (EURL-FV), Universidad de Almeria, Spain)

Prof. Amadeo R. Fernández-Alba is the Director of the EURL Reference Laboratory for pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables (EURL-FV) at the University of Almeria, Spain. He is the member of the Spanish Association for Standardization and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). At these responsibilities his roles include method development for pesticide residue analysis, organizing EU Proficiency Tests, drafting and updating the EU guidelines (SANTE/11945/2015) on method validation, as well as actively building the network of laboratories and scientific communities. He has contributed to more than 300 scientific publications mainly focusing on the analysis of pesticide residues by mass spectrometry techniques.

Presenter: Dr. Adam Cawley (Science Manager, Australian Racing Forensic Laboratory, Racing NSW, Australia)

Adam Cawley has 22 years’ experience in research related to sports anti-doping. Adam holds a PhD in Science and Bachelor of Science (Hons.) degrees from the University of Sydney and is currently Science Manager for Racing NSW. In this position he is responsible for the research and development of analytical methods to support the integrity of equine sports. Adam’s major research focus is biomarker development, producing more than 30 peer-reviewed publications in international scientific journals. Adam is currently an Associate Editor for scientific journal Drug Testing and Analysis and a member of the Advisory Council on Equine Prohibited Substances and Practices for the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA).

Presenter: Dr. Kelvin Goh (Research Fellow III, Dept. of Pharmacy, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore)

Kelvin obtained his PhD in Chemistry for his work on tin-free free radical-based methodologies on the synthesis of novel heterocyclic compounds from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore in 2015. He then held a post-doc position at the National University of Singapore studying halo-defluorination using main-group catalysis. In 2017, He moved to the Singapore Phenome Centre at LKC School of Medicine and was involved in assay development of targeted and untargeted profiling of metabolites from microbial as well as clinical samples using the QTOF-MS as well as NMR. He is currently a research fellow with the Department of Pharmacy at Singapore General Hospital, working on developing analytical assays to measure drug concentrations in various clinical studies to optimize dose regimen for the prevention of increasing antibiotic resistance. He is also interested to study the bacterial membrane proteome envelope changes to acquire a deeper understanding into resistance mechanisms, in particularly that of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria.

Presenter: Dr. Atsuhiko ‘Ash’ Toyama (MS Application Specialist, Shimadzu Corporation, Japan)

Ash Toyama has 10 years of proteomics research experience. His areas of expertise include not only proteomics but also quantitative mass spectrometry with particular focus on bioanalysis, metabolomics and endocrinology. At Shimadzu Corporation he played roles in academic research collaborations, application development and specification development of mass spectrometers. Ash holds a Master of Science degree in Biochemistry from University of Cambridge, UK, and was granted a Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences from University of Tokyo for his research on clinical proteomics.