Showing posts with label AgroBio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AgroBio. Show all posts

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Download ABC's 3 Presentations from AAPS 2015



Below are recent presentations by ABC at this year's AAPS in October.

Don’t Leave Method Transfers to Chance

When planning your development strategy, you probably didn’t give much thought to method transfers. But when an analytical method doesn’t perform as expected, it can take precious days of investigative work to find the problem, and even more to resolve it. Learn about common pitfalls that cause method transfer failures, how to decide what type of method transfer makes sense for your study, and how to implement a fail-safe communication plan that will help put your outsourcing relationship on the right course.

To download this presentation, click here.

 


The Critical Role of CMC in your IND Submission

Early stage drug developers generally have their sights firmly set on the initiation of clinical trials, focusing on toxicological and pharmacological studies. Often, the importance of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC) data is underestimated. But the CMC package is critical to IND approval, and meeting all FDA requirements demands careful planning and sound execution. This discussion will cover the risk/reward criteria for determining the level and degree of method validation, reference standard characterization and formulation; as well as potential pitfalls and ways to streamline the entire development process.

To download this presentation, click here.




Are Extractables & Leachables Going Phase-Appropriate?

Not long ago, it was more or less conventional wisdom that E&L studies should be performed late in the development cycle—even after the final container/closure system is known. But current regulatory trends suggest that, like many things GxP, expectations for early E&L data are on the rise. In recent years, many drug sponsors have been required to address E&L questions as early as phase I/II. It isn’t just CTM containers causing concern; questions often involve the equipment used in manufacturing and dosing devices. Phase-appropriate E&L program design can help you avoid related clinical holds and unplanned expense.

To download this presentation, click here.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Upcoming ACS-AGRO Webinar: "Reflections on select insecticide discoveries, toxicological problem approaches, and enjoying the unexpected"


Wed, Oct 14, 2015 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CDT



"Reflections on select insecticide discoveries, toxicological problem approaches, and enjoying the unexpected"


ACS International Award for Research in Agrochemicals – Award Presentation

Dr. Keith Wing, Keith D Wing Consulting LLC

Abstract: There isn't much rational debate as to the benefits that modern Agrochemicals deliver, but there is still debate and multiple approaches to their discovery and optimization. Many Agrochem companies run compounds "through a process" which provides a framework with which to characterize/prioritize agriculturally active leads quickly and efficiently. However every lead compound series poses different and unique problems on the commercialization path, and the ability of the team to expeditiously solve those problems, some of which may fall outside of ongoing processes, can determine ultimate success. This talk will reflect on 3 insecticide classes which teams were able to discover, chemically optimize and eventually register as commercial products. It is hoped that this presentation and the associated symposium on applying "ADME-like studies" to agrochemical discovery will stimulate reflection on how to go about finding novel, valuable new crop protectants in the future.

Bio:
Dr. Keith Wing, recently retired from DuPont, is the recipient of the 2015 ACS International Award for Research in Agrochemicals. Dr. Wing received this award for his research and exceptional accomplishments in metabolism, bioavailability, and formulations
research. Dr. Wing is a co-inventor or author on a number of insecticide and enzyme technology patents and publications. He has led/worked on teams which used a variety of biochemical/chemical technologies to discover and commercialize new products, leading to positive agricultural business outcomes. He is currently a consultant in industrial biochemistry and strategic planning, specializing in agricultural and renewable chemical areas.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Expect Nothing Less: Expectations of a Contract Research Organization


By Jon Rhodes, M.S.
Senior Scientific Advisor
ABC Laboratories
www.abclabs.com

The pharmaceutical, agrichemical, chemical, and biotechnology industries depend heavily on Contract Research Organizations (CRO’s) to provide high quality, scientifically sound laboratory and field-based services.  And to do so with minimal input from the Sponsoring organization on the routine aspects of study design, conduct, and reporting.  After all, many CRO’s have decades of cumulative experience relative to experimental design and execution as well as what regulators are likely to accept.  In addition CRO’s have deep knowledge of standard practices and individual registrant nuances that can be leveraged to ensure high quality and regulatory acceptability. The overriding goal is to ensure quality science while meeting challenging development timelines.


The basic expectations of a Contract Research Organization have not changed:

• The CRO will conduct studies that satisfy scientific regulatory requirements and customer reporting standards

• The CRO will ensure communication is proactive and timely

 The CRO will offer proactive technical advice and feedback based on practical experience

 The CRO will ensure consistency of approach across all projects within the organization


Likewise the basic expectations of a Registrant have not changed:

 The registrant will provide all study specific information relative to desired project design and will provide deadlines for deliverables

 The registrant will supply specific information about the test material (if available) including analytes and analytical methods, expected behavior of test material, expected toxicity, and any specific requirements required to ensure consistency of testing strategy

 The registrant will provide technical advice and feedback based on practical experience with the test material and experience of approaches received from regulators

 The registrant will ensure timely communication to the CRO relative to study plan and report reviews, responses to study updates and suggestions/questions, and timeline changes


A lot of what makes a successful partnership isn’t strictly science – communication and transparency are everything.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Upcoming ABC Webinar: "The Use of High Resolution Accurate Mass Spectrometry in Environmental Fate and Metabolism Studies"



The use of liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) can be a powerful tool in the characterization and identification of metabolites and degradation products of environmental pollutants in environmental fate and metabolism studies, whether conducted in the laboratory or the field. Advantages of HRMS include:

  • Improved accuracy – important in distinguishing analytes from isobaric interferences in complicated matrices
  • Improved post-acquisition data processing – important in reducing the number of analyses and experiments required to get results
  • Scientific and regulatory necessity – important owing to the required non-targeted analysis of novel compounds dosed at ever lower levels

This webinar will review the merits of employing LC-HRMS by addressing these basic concepts:
  • Scientific and regulatory importance of metabolite identification
  • Instrument Platforms
  • Mass resolution and accurate mass measurements
  • Molecular Formula Information (Most Probable Elemental Composition)
  • Data-Processing Techniques (mass defect filtering, isotope pattern, etc.)
  • The Importance of Separations Chemistry
  • Future Developments of HRMS in Environmental Fate and Metabolism



The presentation will also review case studies in the scientific literature and examples from our laboratory to illustrate how HRMS can be employed in environmental fate and metabolism studies to answer both scientific and regulatory questions.




Tuesday, May 19, 2015

New Frontiers in the Analysis of GMO Crop Proteins


By Glenn Petrie, Ph.D.
Senior Scientific Advisor
ABC Laboratories
www.abclabs.com


Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) have been on the market for over two decades. These plants have been engineered for a variety of properties including:

  • Herbicide resistance
  • Cold/heat tolerance
  • Disease resistance
  • Increased yield
  • Improved quality
  • Pest resistance

Either internally or through licensing agreements large Agro Science companies have combined many of these properties into a single species. This may result in the introduction of 10-20 modified proteins. Each protein is present at different levels in each plant tissue and these levels typically change within the lifespan of the crop. The public concern with GMO crops has led to stringent control. The licensing requirements require careful control of the plants (particularly seeds), multiple field trials and careful monitoring of the modified plant proteins.

This presents quite an analytical challenge: 10-20 modified proteins in up to 12 different plant tissues. Sample preparation alone presents a daunting task. Plants are separated into their component tissues and each tissue macerated (multi-step), often lyophilized and ground to a fine homogeneous powder. The proteins are extracted, typically requiring different extraction methods depending upon the particular protein or tissue.

Once prepared and extracted actual quantitation of the proteins is required. The technique must be sensitive (low ng/mL), specific (thousands of proteins) and precise (crops are sampled several times during their lifecycle). Based on these requirements the methods available are:

  • ELISA
  • Western
  • LC/MS/MS

ELISAs are currently the method of choice. As I discussed in a previous blog (“WES, an alternative to ELISA”, 4/15/15), ELISAs possess the sensitivity and specificity required for GMOs, but not the day-to-day precision and are labor intensive. Automated Western analysis, as performed with the Wes™ system (Protein Simple®), alleviates many of the issues of with ELISA. It shows excellent day-to-day precision and is highly automated. However, both of these methods have relatively low sample throughput, 25-35 samples per plate with total analysis time from 2.5 – 18 hours. Given the hundreds of samples generated for a single GMO field trial, each of which require analysis of 10-20 different proteins, these techniques require man-months of analysis time. While ELISA can be multiplexed, this too is a laborious process and is better suited for analysis of a single matrix (plasma).

Within the last few years the use of proteomics, specifically LC/MRM/MS, has appeared in the literature for the analysis of GMO proteins. This technique appears to possess all the requirements necessary including high throughput. To provide the specificity required the mass/charge ratio must be determined for each of the proteins of interest. Typically the necessary sensitivity cannot be obtained analyzing intact proteins; therefore, proteolytic peptides are utilized. The entire plant extract is proteolytically digested (e.g. trypsin, Lys-C, etc.). This mixture of thousands of peptides is then analyzed by UPLC/MS/MS. Most of the peptides co-elute with multiple other peptides, but through the use of powerful proteomic software the peptides of interest can be teased out of the background. The chromatographic resolution is then optimized and the use of MRM (Multi Reaction Monitoring) is incorporated. In MRM, the peptide ion is separated by its mass/charge ratio in Q1, reacted in Q2 to produce daughter ions fragments which are further separated in Q3. MRM increases the sensitivity of the method 100-fold and provides an additional level of specificity by monitoring two daughter ions. Optimal precision is obtained through use of internal standards, usually synthetic 13C-labeled daughter ions. While this analysis requires substantial development time (as does ELISA), once developed it is a highly automated (walk-away). Its ultimate advantage is that MS/MRM can be multiplexed; there are reports of twelve or more proteins quantitated in a single analysis. This results in sample throughput 5-10 fold greater than ELISA or Western.

In summary, MRM/MS has the following advantages:

  • Accurate
  • Highly specific – two daughter ions
  • No requirement for antibodies
  • High throughput/multiplexing
  • Highly automated

While currently not the method of choice, MRM/MS seems poised to make enormous inroads for the analysis of protein levels in GMO plants.