The Bioanalytical Laboratory forms a key component of MAC’s service provision. State-of-the-art instrumentation coupled with co-location means that our lab ensures patient safety and shorter clinical trial timelines through:

• Rapid turnaround of samples
• High-quality data
• Robust quality control

The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art Sciex Ultra High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) systems, coupled with Sciex’s Triple Quadrupole (QqQ) Mass Spectrometer. The use of UHPLC allows for the rapid, reliable separation of the complex mixtures that are present in biological samples, such as urine, plasma, CSF, or faeces. Combining the UHPLC with the QqQ enables selective, specific, quantitative detection of drug molecules and their metabolites.

Use of LC-MS/MS enables rapid monitoring of drug levels in the bloodstream following its administration. The data can then be used to create a PK profile, which allows the appropriate dosing regimen to be determined. During a clinical trial, the amount of drug detected in the patient’s blood can be used to ensure compliance or check for accumulation.

The laboratory staff use their experience to:

• Transfer existing methods from clients
• Modify methods as needed
• Create bespoke methods when required

All methods used in the laboratory undergo rigorous validation to determine:

• Specificity
• Linearity and range
• Accuracy
• Precision
• Limit of detection
• Limit of quantitation
• Ruggedness
• Robustness

This ensures all methods used within the laboratory are fit-for-purpose.