Los Angeles, California —LECO Corporation has partnered with California State University, Los Angeles, on the development of its new LECO Complex Chemical Compositional Analysis Lab. The opening of the lab on September 19th marked a significant step towards advancing research and education in complex chemical analysis not only at the university but throughout the West Coast.
The new C3AL, as it is referred to, is located in the renovated laboratory of Rosser Hall at CSULA. Here, students, colleagues, and partners will study the composition and structure of complex chemical samples under the direction of Dr. Petr Vozka, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
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<h5><a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/companies/219">Complex Chemical Composition Analysis Lab (C³AL)</a></h5>
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We are a research group in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University, Los Angeles. Our research revolves around the characterization of complex chemical mixtures via state-of-the-art techniques, inlcuding <a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?instrumentationItems=2&amp;manufacturerItems=25">two-dimensional gas chromatography</a> and <a href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?instrumentationItems=3-5-13&amp;manufacturerItems=25">high-resolution mass spectrometry</a>.
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&quot;The mission of CSULA is to mold adept students ready to lead in the industry and excel in top-tier graduate programs,&quot; said Dr. Vozka. &quot;Every milestone, every achievement, is a testament to our collective efforts.”
&quot;The opportunity to partner with Dr. Vozka and the Cal State community presented itself when we learned of Petr&#39;s commitment to educating the next generation of scientists on powerful new techniques for the identification of unknowns,&quot; said Farai Rukunda, Director of Separation Science at LECO. &quot;As the industry leader in instrumentation for complex sample analysis, it was a natural fit for us to work together to ensure these new and emerging leaders had exposure to and the proper training on these new revolutionary techniques.&quot;
<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/LECO_LECO_Launches_New_Laboratory_in_Partnership_with_California_State_University_Los_Angeles_03_bcbfbd5027/LECO-LECO-Launches-New-Laboratory-in-Partnership-with-California-State-University-Los-Angeles-03.jpg" alt="LECO - LECO Launches New Laboratory in Partnership with California State University, Los Angeles 03.jpg"/>
As part of its contribution to the new laboratory, LECO provided state-of-the-art time-of-flight mass spectrometry equipment. The Pegasus BT brings <a href="https://gcms.cz/products/36">GC</a>, <a href="https://gcms.cz/products/37">GCxGC</a>, and TOFMS capabilities to the laboratory and allows for deep investigations to a variety of complex samples and interesting questions. Having access to this technology provides the students at the C3AL an opportunity to collaborate with and learn from industry leaders currently using these same tools to solve real-world problems.
LECO, based in St. Joseph, Michigan, plans to utilize the lab for future training and product demonstrations on the West Coast as well.
<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/LECO_LECO_Launches_New_Laboratory_in_Partnership_with_California_State_University_Los_Angeles_05_ed3508194d/LECO-LECO-Launches-New-Laboratory-in-Partnership-with-California-State-University-Los-Angeles-05.jpg" alt="LECO - LECO Launches New Laboratory in Partnership with California State University, Los Angeles 05.jpg"/>
&quot;The West Coast continues to be a hot spot for laboratories doing discovery work in the areas of unknown analyte detection, particularly in areas like Metabolomics and Environmental Forensics,&quot; said Dave Russ, US Sales Manager for Separation Science. &quot;The C3AL lab gives us access to a working LECO laboratory on the West Coast, so we can better support this growing community.&quot;
Following the ceremony, Christopher Warren, President of LECO Corporation, affirmed the company&#39;s commitment to supporting the lab for years to come.
&quot;This new partnership promotes advancement in research capabilities and provides students with the opportunity to make their mark on chemical analysis,&quot; says Chris Warren, President of LECO Corporation. &quot;As scientists ourselves, we look forward to mentoring the next generation in solving tomorrow&#39;s complex problems today&quot;.
For more information on the Cal State LA/LECO C3AL lab, please contact Dr. Petr Vozka at pvozka@calstatela.edu.
<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/LECO_LECO_Launches_New_Laboratory_in_Partnership_with_California_State_University_Los_Angeles_01_b628ada80f/LECO-LECO-Launches-New-Laboratory-in-Partnership-with-California-State-University-Los-Angeles-01.jpg" alt="LECO - LECO Launches New Laboratory in Partnership with California State University, Los Angeles 01.jpg"/>
<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/LECO_LECO_Launches_New_Laboratory_in_Partnership_with_California_State_University_Los_Angeles_02_176839852e/LECO-LECO-Launches-New-Laboratory-in-Partnership-with-California-State-University-Los-Angeles-02.jpg" alt="LECO - LECO Launches New Laboratory in Partnership with California State University, Los Angeles 02.jpg"/>
<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/LECO_LECO_Launches_New_Laboratory_in_Partnership_with_California_State_University_Los_Angeles_04_1621f2a437/LECO-LECO-Launches-New-Laboratory-in-Partnership-with-California-State-University-Los-Angeles-04.jpg" alt="LECO - LECO Launches New Laboratory in Partnership with California State University, Los Angeles 04.jpg"/>
<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/LECO_LECO_Launches_New_Laboratory_in_Partnership_with_California_State_University_Los_Angeles_06_671613a80c/LECO-LECO-Launches-New-Laboratory-in-Partnership-with-California-State-University-Los-Angeles-06.jpg" alt="LECO - LECO Launches New Laboratory in Partnership with California State University, Los Angeles 06.jpg"/>

LECO Launches New Laboratory in Partnership with California State University, Los Angeles

🎤 Presenter: Jan Hlavsa (Czech Technical University, Prague, Czech Republic)💾 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/paper/28872">PDF presentation</a><blockquote>💡 Book in your calendar: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/events/787">17th Multidimensional Chromatography Workshop (MDCW)</a> 13 - 15. January 2026</blockquote><h3>Abstract</h3> We present a method for the recognition of the identity and sex given a GC×GC chromatogram of a scent sample. In all stages, the method is fully automatic. First, the chromatogram is aligned by identifying 2D peak locations of pre-determined compounds that have been found to be present in all samples. The peak location is the point of maximum correlation with a machine-learned prototype of its spectrogram within a pre-learned part of the chromatogram. The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?instrumentationItems=2">GCxGC</a> space is triangulated and affine warped to canonical coordinates. In the second step, the aligned chromatogram is flattened to a 1D vector whose values are, depending on the experiment, the total mass recorded at a given time, or the output of a spectrometer. The vector is the input of the identity or sex classifier. Two types of classifiers were trained and evaluated - the SVM (polynomial and RBF kernels) and a shallow convolution neural network.Experiments were carried out on data collected from the palms of 40 volunteers onto glass beads, extracted into ethanol, and analysed by a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?instrumentationItems=2-13&amp;manufacturerItems=25">LECO GC×GC-ToF </a>over a three year period ( 2019-2022) . Each volunteer provided at least 10 samples, each a week apart. In case of the gender identification, by finding an optimal linear projection of the Total Ion Chromatogram data, we achieve approximately 85% validation accuracy in sex identification using 10-fold cross-validation on a balanced dataset (50% male, 50% female) of 504 measurements from 40 identities. The top 5 validation accuracy for classifying 20 identities is approximately 60%.<h3>Video transcription</h3>Jan Hlavsa presented research focused on automatic sex classification and identity verification from human scent chromatograms using GC×GC-ToFMS. The project is a collaboration between the Czech Technical University in Prague and the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, with computational support from the LUMI supercomputer (over 120,000 GPU hours).<h4>Data and Methods</h4><ul><li>Samples: 2,528 chromatograms collected from 252 volunteers, analyzed by GC×GC-ToFMS.</li><li>Data representation: raw outputs with no pre-processing, stored as 3D tensors (mass spectrum, 1st retention time, 2nd retention time). Each dataset ~4 GB.</li><li>Chromatogram alignment: fully automatic registration using 24 chemical marker compounds and piecewise linear transformation.</li><li>Model: convolutional neural networks (CNNs) applied for both sex classification and identity verification tasks.</li></ul><h4>Sex Classification</h4><ul><li>Task: determine the biological sex of a donor from a human scent chromatogram.</li><li>Results:<ul><li>Reduced spectral dimension data: 84.5% accuracy.</li><li>Full data: 94.5% accuracy.</li></ul></li></ul><h4>Identity Verification</h4><ul><li>Task: verify whether two scent samples come from the same individual.</li><li>Evaluation metric: AUC (Area Under the ROC Curve).</li><li>Results:<ul><li>Training set: AUC = 0.96.</li><li>Validation set: AUC = 0.93.</li></ul></li></ul><h4>Key Advantages</h4><ul><li>Fully automated workflow requiring zero manual intervention during chromatogram registration.</li><li>Reproducible results with open-source Python code soon to be available.</li><li>High accuracy in both sex classification and identity verification tasks.</li></ul><h4>Conclusion</h4><ul><li>This study demonstrates that GC×GC analysis of human scent, combined with convolutional neural networks, can successfully differentiate sex and verify identity with high accuracy. Future work will focus on expanding the datasets and further optimizing the methodology.</li></ul><blockquote>This text has been automatically transcribed from a video presentation using AI technology. It may contain inaccuracies and is not guaranteed to be 100% correct.</blockquote>

Sex and person identity recognition from GC×GC analysis of scent samples (Jan Hlavsa, MDCW 2025)

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/articles?search=petr+vozka">Dr. Petr Vozka</a>'s innovative research at California State University, Los Angeles is advancing the field of forensic chemistry through the comprehensive analysis of fingerprint aging. The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/companies/219">Complex Chemical Composition Analysis Lab (C³AL)</a> utilizes cutting-edge comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?instrumentationItems=13-2-3&amp;manufacturerItems=25">GC×GC-TOFMS</a>) to analyze fingerprint chemical composition changes over time [1]. Central to this complex analytical workflow is <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/products/1916">Organomation's 15 position MICROVAP nitrogen evaporator</a>, which plays a crucial role in sample preparation and concentration. This case study explores how the integration of the MICROVAP system has enhanced sample processing efficiency, improved reproducibility, and ultimately contributed to groundbreaking discoveries in fingerprint aging research that could transform forensic investigations.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Organomation_Enhancing_Forensic_Fingerprint_Analysis_How_the_MICROVAP_Sample_Concentrator_Aids_Solvent_Removal_d717987163.jpg" alt="Organomation: Enhancing Forensic Fingerprint Analysis - How the MICROVAP Sample Concentrator Aids Solvent Removal" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Organomation_Enhancing_Forensic_Fingerprint_Analysis_How_the_MICROVAP_Sample_Concentrator_Aids_Solvent_Removal_d717987163.jpg 230w," sizes="100vw" width="1080" height="733"><h5>Background: Dr. Vozka's Pioneering Fingerprint Research</h5><blockquote>Watch our exclusive interview with Dr. Petr Vozka <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KncYDw-UCdg">here</a>!</blockquote>Dr. Petr Vozka serves as an Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry at California State University, Los Angeles, where he established the Complex Chemical Composition Analysis Lab (C³AL). His research facility has emerged as a beacon of opportunity for first-generation and underrepresented students, providing hands-on experience with advanced analytical instrumentation. The lab's partnership with LECO Corporation has been transformative, equipping students with access to a state-of-the-art comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography system [2]. This collaboration was formalized in 2023 when LECO presented Dr. Vozka with a GC×GC-enabled Pegasus TOFMS system in recognition of his extensive work in microplastics analysis using GC×GC technology, as well as his efforts in training the next generation of GC×GC users [2].Among Dr. Vozka's most promising research initiative is his collaboration with the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center on fingerprint aging research. This innovative project aims to understand how fingerprint components change over time, with the ultimate goal of developing a reliable aging model that could revolutionize forensic investigations [3]. The significance of this research extends beyond academic interest, potentially providing law enforcement with crucial temporal information about when fingerprints were deposited at crime scenes. By analyzing the complex chemical composition of fingerprints and monitoring how specific compounds degrade or transform over time, Dr. Vozka's team is laying the scientific groundwork for fingerprint chronology, an area that has traditionally depended on circumstantial evidence or witness testimony [3].<h4>The Fingerprint Analysis Workflow Challenge</h4>The analytical workflow for fingerprint aging analysis presents several challenges that require an innovative solution. The process begins with careful sample collection, where technicians moisten cotton swabs with dichloromethane and methodically swab the fingerprint from its surface [3]. This initial extraction captures numerous organic compounds present in fingerprints, with primary targets including cholesterol metabolites and squalene [3]. However, these compounds exist in extremely low concentrations in fingerprints, making their detection and quantification particularly challenging without proper sample preparation and concentration steps.Before these samples can be analyzed using the GC×GC-TOFMS system, they must undergo a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.organomation.com/what-is-sample-concentration">critical concentration step to remove excess solvent </a>while preserving the target analytes [4]. This intermediate step posed several technical hurdles for Dr. Vozka's research team. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.organomation.com/blog/diy-evaporation-setups-vs.-professional-nitrogen-blowdown-systems-knowing-when-to-upgrade">Manual evaporation methods</a> were time-consuming and introduced significant variability between samples, potentially compromising the reliability of their aging models. Inconsistent evaporation rates and temperatures could lead to selective loss of volatile compounds, skewing the chemical profile of the fingerprint samples. Additionally, the research involved processing multiple samples from different time points to track changes over time, creating a workflow bottleneck with traditional single-sample evaporation methods.The precision required for forensic applications added another layer of complexity to the sample preparation process. Even minor variations in concentration technique could significantly impact the final analytical results and the validity of any aging models developed. The research team needed a solution that could provide controlled, reproducible evaporation for multiple samples simultaneously, while maintaining the integrity of the complex mixture of compounds present in fingerprint residues [4]. This critical stage in the analytical workflow presented an ideal opportunity for technological intervention to enhance both throughput and data quality.<h4>The MICROVAP: Efficient Sample Concentration</h4>The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/products/1916">15 position MICROVAP nitrogen evaporator</a> from Organomation emerged as the ideal solution for Dr. Vozka's fingerprint analysis workflow. This compact benchtop evaporator is specifically designed for small batch solvent evaporations, such as concentrations of sample groups in microcentrifuge tubes, making it perfectly suited for the fingerprint extract samples collected on dichloromethane-moistened swabs [5]. The system's ability to simultaneously process up to 15 samples significantly improved laboratory throughput, allowing the research team to analyze multiple fingerprint samples within a single batch [4, 5]. This capability is especially valuable in fingerprint aging studies, where comparing samples collected at different time intervals is essential for developing accurate temporal models.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Organomation_15_Position_MICROVAP_Nitrogen_Evaporator_2_af9f41666c.jpg" alt="Organomation: 15 Position MICROVAP Nitrogen Evaporator" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Organomation_15_Position_MICROVAP_Nitrogen_Evaporator_2_af9f41666c.jpg 158w," sizes="100vw" width="2984" height="2953">The MICROVAP's precision temperature control, ranging from room temperature to 130°C with accuracy of ± 2°C, provides the careful regulation necessary for compound preservation during the concentration process. This feature is critical when working with fingerprint samples that contain a complex mixture of target compounds which may be susceptible to evaporation or degradation under higher temperature conditions. The newly redesigned heating unit offers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.organomation.com/blog/redesigned-blow-down-evaporator-for-autosampler-vials-and-96-well-plates">enhanced heat stability for low-temperature applications</a>, which is crucial for preserving thermally labile residues. The system's stainless steel luer lock hubs and 4-inch x 19-gauge stainless steel needles enable precise control of nitrogen flow, further enhancing evaporation consistency and sample integrity [5].Implementation of the MICROVAP system into Dr. Vozka's laboratory workflow was straightforward due to its user-friendly design and minimal footprint. With a digital temperature controller and adjustable flow meter, the system allows for easy optimization based on sample and solvent properties. Its compact design conserves valuable hood space, a key benefit in space-constrained academic labs. Custom-designed sample blocks and inserts ensure optimal fit and efficient heat transfer for the specific glassware used in the fingerprint analysis workflow, further enhancing the processes efficiency and reproducibility [5].<h4>Impact and Results</h4>The integration of the 15 position MICROVAP into Dr. Vozka's fingerprint analysis workflow has yielded impressive improvements in both efficiency and analytical quality. Sample preparation time has been significantly reduced, allowing the research team to process more samples in less time and accelerating their progress toward developing a comprehensive fingerprint aging model. The batch processing capability has eliminated a major bottleneck in their workflow, enabling the analysis of larger sample sets that provide more robust statistical data for their aging models. This increased throughput has been achieved without sacrificing sample quality, thanks to the MICROVAP's precise control of evaporation parameters [4].Sample-to-sample consistency has dramatically improved since implementing the MICROVAP system, resulting in more reliable detection of critical chemical markers in fingerprint residues. The research team has been able to successfully detect cholesterol metabolites across samples, although they noted that squalene was not consistently detected in all samples, highlighting the complexity of fingerprint composition analysis [3]. The controlled evaporation environment provided by the MICROVAP has minimized the selective loss of volatile compounds, ensuring that the chemical profiles obtained from GC×GC-TOFMS analysis accurately represent the original fingerprint composition [4]. This improvement in analytical fidelity is essential for developing reliable aging models that can withstand forensic scrutiny.The safety aspects of the MICROVAP system have also benefited the laboratory environment, particularly when working with dichloromethane, a potential health hazard that requires careful handling. The enclosed evaporation process of the evaporator in the fume hood minimizes researcher exposure to solvent vapors, creating a safer working environment for researchers [5]. Additionally, the system's reliability has reduced the need for sample reprocessing, conserving valuable resources and maximizing the productivity of the laboratory. The consistent results obtained with the MICROVAP system have strengthened the validity of Dr. Vozka's research findings, positioning his team at the forefront of forensic fingerprint aging analysis [4].<h4>Future Directions and Conclusion</h4>Dr. Vozka's innovative application of GC×GC-TOFMS combined with the efficient sample preparation capabilities of the 15 position MICROVAP represents a significant advancement in forensic fingerprint analysis. The integration of this specialized evaporation technology has not only enhanced research productivity but also improved the quality and reliability of analytical results essential for developing accurate fingerprint aging models [4]. As the research continues, Dr. Vozka's team plans to refine their methods further, possibly expanding their analyte panel to include additional chemical markers that may provide more precise aging information [3]. The versatility of the MICROVAP system will support these evolving research needs, accommodating different sample types and volumes as the project progresses.The successful implementation of the 15 position MICROVAP in Dr. Vozka's laboratory demonstrates the critical importance of appropriate sample preparation technologies in advanced analytical workflows. While sophisticated instrumentation like GC×GC-TOFMS receives much attention, the quality of data ultimately depends on careful sample processing throughout the analytical workflow. Organomation's MICROVAP has proven to be an essential component in bridging the gap between sample collection and high-resolution analysis, ensuring that the full potential of advanced chromatographic techniques can be reached. As Dr. Vozka continues to train the next generation of analytical chemists and forensic scientists at Cal State LA, the integration of professional-grade sample preparation equipment like the MICROVAP provides students with valuable hands-on experience that mirrors real-world laboratory practices, preparing them for successful careers in analytical science.<blockquote>In need of a sample concentrator for your lab? Easily find the best model for your application by using our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.organomation.com/support/contact-help-support/sample-evaporator-product-finder">evaporator product finder tool</a>.</blockquote>

Enhancing Forensic Fingerprint Analysis: How the MICROVAP Sample Concentrator Aids Solvent Removal

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