The 32nd Annual Midwest Section of AOAC INTERNATIONAL

Meeting and Exposition will be taking place the week of June 3rd at the Wisconsin Dells, WI.  Technical specialist Don Shelly will be presenting a workshop, “The Chemistry of SPE”.  This will be a very instructive presentation covering the foundational principles and mechanisms of solid-phase extraction.  Pathways for developing a proper extraction and extract clean-up procedure will be discussed.  And of course, every audience member will walk away knowing what number is the most important number to remember when planning an SPE extraction!

Come join us for an exciting meeting in the heart of Wisconsin at the town dubbed the ‘Waterpark capital of America’

Clean Screen® THC in International Cannabis Psychomotor Study

For the practitioners of forensic toxicology, the analysis of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolites is one of most requested tests around the world in drugs and driving related cases. By evaluating the concentrations of THC, its hydroxy and carboxy metabolites in samples of whole blood, the toxicologist is in the best position to offer medical examiners/coroners and enforcement agencies the most appropriate interpretation regarding the impairment of the operators of motor vehicles.

In an article published by Wendy M. Bosker and, Erin L. Karschner et al in PLOS ONE ( January 2013, 8(1): e53127), a team from the prestigious National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, Baltimore MD)/ Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands studied the psychomotor functions of chronic daily cannabis users in abstinence. In this study, samples of blood, as well as oral fluid, were taken over a period of 23 days. The blood samples were treated so as to produce the plasma and were stored until analyzed. During the period of the study several psychomotor tests were performed upon the participants. By correlating the plasma cannabinoid concentrations with the psychomotor results, this team was able to understand the nature of cannabinoid impairment. UCT's SPE columns were employed to provide analytical results which were both reproducible and clean.

Clean Screen THC and Robotics

In the area of forensic toxicology, probably the most requested drug analysis is that of THC. Toxicologists around the world are faced with analyzing whole blood samples for the presence of THC and its metabolites: Hydroxy-THC and Carboxy-THC. In performing this analysis, they can not only offer quantifiable concentrations but also an interpretation into impairment with regards to operating a motor vehicle. In order to perform this type of testing in a timely fashion, analysts are being asked to go to lower and lower concentrations in less and less time. UCT has always been recognized as producing the finest SPE sorbent in the world with this goal in mind, Clean Screen THC (CSTHC).

In a study accepted for publication by Journal of Forensic Toxicology and Pharmacology in December 2012, Dr Jeff Hackett (in conjunction with a major crime laboratory) employed this sorbent on board a robotic SPE workstation (Janus) to process the extraction of THC and its metabolites from whole blood samples. The robotic workstation permitted analysts to conduct other tasks while the SPE operation
was performed. The extraction process allowed concentrations of down to 0.5 ng/ mL of all of the cannabinoids to be detected by LC-MS/MS, with recoveries greater than 95%, and minimal matrix effects. The time savings by the robotic workstation over manual preparation was significant. This report offers another exciting avenue for the premier THC SPE sorbent in the area of analytical forensic toxicology.

UCT exhibits at SAT Fall Meeting, Norman, OK, October 4th- 6th, 2012

UCT always proudly supports regional meetings for Forensic Toxicologists.   At this years Fall meeting of the Southwestern Association of Toxicologists (SAT) held in Norman, OK, UCT will be represented by Andrew Johansen. Andrew will be on hand throughout the meeting to discuss UCT methods, applications and products for use in the field of Forensic Toxicology.  UCT is recognized for developing one of the first SPE methodologies for use with Spice Drugs and metabolites in blood and urine.  Methods for analysis of bathsalts are also available.  Please visit Andrew at the UCT booth to learn more about Clean Screen, Xcel and FASt range of technologies as well as our derivatizing reagents and manifolds for sample preparation.

Highlights from SOFT 2012

At this years meeting of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT) in Boston USA, UCT SPE products were shown for their high quality and efficiency over a wide range of projects. In a presentation given by Caroline Betit (Laurentian University Ontario,Canada), UCT Clean Screen DAU (CSDAU) was demonstrated in the extraction andanalysis of Pentobarbital in decomposed bone samples using GC-MS. Decomposed samples are always difficult for forensic toxicologists to analyze, and a veryclean extract (as produced by the Clean Screen DAU) is valuable in not only identifying drugs but also in quantifying the results.

The analysis of THC and its metabolites is a subject close to the heart of many forensic toxicologists charged with testing samples and interpreting the results, it is very important that samples can be extracted with high efficiency and reproducibility. In a presentation given by Dr. Gary Milman (NIDA, Baltimore, USA), UCT's StyreScreen THC (SSTHC) was shown to fill the need of high efficiency and reproducibility when analyzing samples of not only smoked cannabis but also synthetic cannabis in a clinical study at NIDA. The SSTHC was able to extract Dronabinol as well as THC, THC-OH, and Carboxy-THC from plasma samples using 2dimensional GC-MS.

In the area of post mortem toxicology, the Clean Screen DAU is world renowned for itsability to extract a wide and diverse range of compounds. Among this widerange, the Opiate class of drugs is no stranger to forensic toxicologists, in two presentations from Cuyahoga County Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (Ohio, USA), Claire Kaspar showed how the CSDAU could be used in the analysis of opiates especially heroin in post mortem cases. Her analysis centered on the determination of opiates in brain tissues as well as post mortem blood samples. The presentations showed off the power of the CSDAU in producing very clean extracts from very difficult matrices  In an independent  study undertaken by the Orange County Crime Laboratory (California, USA), Dani Mata demonstrated that the CSDAU in an automated setting can be used to combine 4 separate opiate analyses into 1 single procedure which not only increases productivity, but also efficiency in terms of instrumental time.  The presentation also showed the power of Solid Phase Extraction over Liquid-Liquid Extraction in the toxicology laboratory.

Analysis of Cocaine in Post Mortem Samples Using Clean Screen DAU SPE

Post mortem samples present the toxicologist with more challenges than most samples seen in forensic laboratories. The condition and volumes of the matrix can add to difficulties to be overcome. UCT is keenly aware of these issues, and for more than 25 years has offered forensic toxicology analysts the best solution with the well-known Clean Screen DAU Solid Phase Extraction column. This SPE material is unsurpassed, not only in its range of analytes, but in its efficiency in isolating from a wide variety of post mortem matrices. In the recent issue of Journal of Analytical Toxicology (March 2012, pp 141-143) Dr. Juhascik (UMass Memorial Hospital, MA) and his team report the finding of a isopropyl artifact in post mortem samples. The samples were comprehensively and completely analyzed for the presence of cocaine and metabolites. This work follows Dr. Juhascik's work comparing the efficiencies of liquid-liquid extraction vs SPE (Journal of Analytical Toxicology (2009 , 47, 553-557) where they determined that SPE (using Clean Screen DAU) far exceeded the liquid-liquid extraction in performance and efficiency.

Phenazepam and UCT CSDAU206

In recent months Phenazepam, a drug originally precribed for the Russian market, has become very popular for off-label uses in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia. Phenazepam is prescribed for the reduction of anxiety but has now been found in blood and urine samples of drivers stopped by enforcement agencies in traffic cases in these countries. In the most recent issue of LC-GC magazine (December 2011), a validated method for the analysis of Phenazepam in whole blood has been published. UCT scientist Dr. Jeff Hackett, working with analysts at the Massachussets State Police Crime Laboratory have developed a sensitive and higly efficient method for this analysis using UCT's flagship sorbent Clean Screen (CSDAU206). In this procedure whole blood samples were extracted and analyzed down to concentrations less than 1 ng per mL of whole blood. The samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry where the clean extracts were shown to have minimal matrix effects (less than 6% overall). The recoveries of the drug from whole blood using CSDAU206 SPE columns were found to be greater than 90%. These excellent analytical characteristics demonstrate why UCT is the premier manufacturer in SPE and our Clean Screen SPE columns are the best sorbents for the extraction of drugs in biological fluids.