Bruker Lunch & Learn Abstracts

Using TIMS, DART-MS, and LC-Ion Trap-MS within the world of Forensics

• New trapped ion mobility and QTOF mass spectrometry solutions for the analysis of drugs and drug metabolites in body fluids and hair.
  • Carsten Baessmann; Solutions Development Applied Markets; Bruker Daltonics GmbH & Co, Bremen, Germany
    High-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry has become an excellent tool in forensic toxicology. The accurate mass-based inherent properties such as sensitive wide-scope screening along with excellent quantification capabilities, retrospective and general unknown analysis capabilities make it an ideal tool for this work. The presentation shows the added value of using Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry (TIMS) and Collisional Cross Section (CCS) in addition to retention time, accurate mass, isotope pattern and MS/MS qualifier ions. For this purpose, drugs in body fluids or hair extracts at different concentrations were analyzed on an Elute UHPLC connected to an Impact II QTOF or a timsTOF pro2 using a VIP-HESI source (all Bruker Daltonics). Alternatively, drugs that are better suited for GC/MS can be analyzed with GC-APCI-timsTOF. Automated processing is performed using TASQ 2023 and MetaboScpe 2023 for non-targeted workflows and identification of unknown drugs.

12:30 – 1:00 pm

• Implementing NIST DART-MS forensic database for expedited evidence analysis.
  
  • Samuel Putnam; Applications Scientist; Bruker Applied Mass Spectrometry, Billerica, MA, USA
    Within the forensic community, direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) is a tool capable of providing a wealth of information from a rapid, straightforward analysis. The data produced, while extremely useful, can be difficult to interpret, especially in the case of complex mixtures, and therefore, mass spectral databases are often used to assist in interpretation of data. Herein, an evidence-screening method for forensic analyses was developed using DART-QTOF MS in combination with an automated data evaluation software, a free tool provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
    By using in-source collision-induced dissociation (is-CID), this method provides reduced workflow and minimal cycle times, while improving screening accuracy for better confirmation tests. In most cases, the method requires no sample preparation and can analyze samples in under 12 seconds. As a result, using this screening method, drug chemistry labs can improve productivity and confidence in analytical results.
    • Technique to reduce forensic evidence analysis time and data interpretation.
    • Implementing the NIST Data Interpretation Tool with Bruker technology.

1:00 – 1:30 pm

• LC-ION TRAP-MS as a routine screening tool in forensic toxicology-a 7 year recap of using the TOXTYPER®.
  
  • Jürgen Kempf; Forensic Toxicology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
    Screening for drugs and drugs of abuse in different matrices is a routine task in every toxicology lab and an integral part of every systematic toxicological analysis (STA). Due to the rapid development of high resolution technology in the past decade, low resolution mass spectrometry seems to fade slowly, but it is still one of the most frequently used analytical techniques in our field.
    The presentation will give an overview and share the experiences of using the Toxtyper®, a screening based on liquid chromatography – ion trap MS, in toxicology casework of an ISO 17025 accredited lab. It will briefly explain the principles and implementation in the lab and focus on the ongoing quality control efforts like evaluation of limits of detection and continuous analyses of certified proficiency tests and examples of routine – and not so routine – forensic casework.