Agilent–South Bend Medical Foundation: mass spectrometry, –201009 collab co-development LC/MS/MS method confirmatory urine drug testing

	Period	2010-09-15
	Region	United States (USA)
	Partner, 1st	Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A)
	Group	Agilent (Group)
	Partner, 2nd	South Bend Medical Foundation
	Product	mass spec test, drugs of abuse, urine-based
	Product 2	LC/MS/MS system

Agilent Technologies Inc.. (9/15/10). "Press Release: Agilent Technologies and South Bend Medical Foundation Developing LC/MS/MS Methods to Comply with New Federal Workplace Drug Testing Guidelines". Santa Clara, CA.

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) and South Bend Medical Foundation have collaborated to develop urine testing methods to meet the new mandatory guidelines for federal workplace drug testing. The new guidelines, which are scheduled to take effect Oct. 1, will allow for the first time use of liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) for confirmatory urine drug testing.

The resulting methods will be validated per National Laboratory Certification Program guidelines by the staff at South Bend. The methods will use the same column so that all five required drug classes can be analyzed on a single LC/MS/MS instrument without system changes. The methods will be accompanied by well-documented standard operating procedures, including sample preparation, to accelerate implementation and facilitate training of laboratory personnel.

"We frequently hear that the main barriers to adopting the new technologies required to drive laboratory productivity and/or cost reductions are lack of time and in-house expertise," said Tom Gluodenis, Jr., Agilent worldwide forensics program manager. "We're now making it easier for busy labs to reap the benefits of these new guidelines with minimal time and effort in method development. For example, the tools we have just developed in response to the changing workplace guidelines could enable laboratories to validate these methods and be running billable urine confirmations in under 60 days."

Use of LC/MS/MS for urine drug confirmations speeds testing and reduces cost-per-sample compared to previous methods. In addition, several new target drugs have been added to the panel, several cut-off concentrations have been adjusted, and the minimum requirements for interference testing have been satisfied for amphetamines and opiates. Also, the new requirement specifying at least 10 data points across a peak can be met.

In addition to collaborating with Agilent to develop the new methods, the South Bend Medical Foundation will participate in the training of Agilent's field representatives. This will enhance Agilent's ability to support laboratories seeking to implement these testing methods.

The South Bend Medical Foundation's Toxicology Department, established in 1975, is one of the original 10 labs accredited by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA, formerly NIDA), through the National Laboratory Certification Program - Department of Health and Human Services.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in chemical analysis, life sciences, electronics and communications. The company's 18,500 employees serve customers in more than 100 countries. Agilent had net revenues of $4.5 billion in fiscal 2009. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

# # #

Contact:
Stuart Matlow
+1 408 553 7191
stuart_matlow@agilent.com

Record changed: 2011-11-25

Follow Us!

Top News

Upcoming Events

Associations

Partners

Agilent–South Bend Medical Foundation: mass spectrometry, –201009 collab co-development LC/MS/MS method confirmatory urine drug testing

Agilent Technologies Inc.. (9/15/10). "Press Release: Agilent Technologies and South Bend Medical Foundation Developing LC/MS/MS Methods to Comply with New Federal Workplace Drug Testing Guidelines". Santa Clara, CA.

More documents for Agilent (Group)