Waters: IonKey/MS System
The robustness and reliability of pharmacokinetic (PK) data is an essential part of bioanalysis. LC/MS is the technique of choice in quantitative bioanalysis due to its high selectivity and sensitivity. The use of reduced-bore chromatographic columns dimensions such as 180-300 µm I.D. for the analysis of biological fluids can be traced back to the late 1990s, and has been shown to increase assay sensitivity as well as reduce the amount of sample required to perform drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic (DMPK) analysis. However, the implementation of these scales of chromatography requires specialized equipment, smaller tubing I.D. and connective union volumes in order to achieve the best chromatographic performance.
The new ionKey/MS System from Waters, which uses a 150-µm I.D. iKey Separation Device packed with 1.7-µm particles, offers both robust performance and high sensitivity for LC/MS bioanalysis studies. The ionKey/MS System integrates the ACQUITY UPLC M-Class System with the industry-leading Xevo TQ-S mass spectrometer, which enables the lowest detection limits to be achieved for the most challenging analyses.