UHPLC-MS/MS

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: Funded in 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 426124714

Herewith, we are applying for the financial funding of an UHPLC-Hybrid-Triple Quadrupole / Linear Ion Trap mass spectrometric detector-system (UHPLC-MS/MS-System). The instrument is primarily intended for the highly sensitive and specific determination of hazardous substances or its metabolites in biological material (human biomonitoring). The principle aim is the detection of exposure biomarkers in low concentration levels (ultra-trace range) in order to enable a reliable determination of biomarker background levels in the general population. A high sensitivity of the instrument is also necessary to render possible the exploration of new biomarkers of exposure as many xenobiotic metabolites are formed in limited amounts in the human body but are still highly specific for the proposed toxic effects of the chemical. Thus, state-of-the-art analytical equipment is required for the specific determination of a wide range of analytes (with regard to molecular mass and polarity) in highly complex matrices (biological material). Determination using UHPLC combined with a highly sensitive mass spectrometric detector (Triple Quad system) is the analytical method of choice in these cases. In recent years, a constantly increasing number of UHPLC-MS/MS methods for the specific determination of analytes in the ultra-trace range were published. Our goal is to keep up with this development. This is also essential in the context of our work for the DFG working group “Analyses in Biological Materials” of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area (Chair: Prof. Dr. Thomas Göen). In this working group, new analytical procedures are regularly developed and have to be verified by implementation of the procedures in the laboratory. The current LC-MS/MS system in our laboratory is over 15 years old and is no longer state of the art especially with regard to the required detection limits of modern analytical methods.In addition, the new system is intended to be of use in the field of pharmaceutical drug research. In this context, the focus lies on the highly specific detection of pharmaceuticals or their metabolites as well as on the testing of new technologies in order to enable alternative analytical methods to the common radioactivity assays. Thus, a fundamental requirement is a highly sensitive mass spectrometric system that enables a reliable determination of analytes in a wide mass range but especially of small-molecule drugs.We here favor the acquisition of a hybrid-UHPLC MS/MS system that is additionally equipped with an ion trap for implementation of full scan experiments for structure identification. This also serves as a valuable feature for assurance of peak identity in case of complex matrix interferences.We therefore urgently need a state-of-the-art LC-MS/MS system for further fundamental research in the field of human biomonitoring and pharmaceutical drug research.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: UHPLC-MS/MS
• Instrumentation Group: 1700 Massenspektrometer
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Leader: Professor Dr. Hans Drexler