The Progression of SIFT-MS Through Breath and Clinical Applications - Day 1

As any analyst will tell you, small, polar molecules are problematic.

Throw in some sulphur compounds, volatile amines, and water – you now have a “difficult analysis”. The primary reason is that traditional chromatography, both GC and LC, doesn’t really fit these compounds, leaving a gap in your analytical jigsaw puzzle. There is a third way, however – Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry, or SIFT-MS – which is particularly well suited to these problem analytes, and should be a natural part of your analytical toolbox.

Often, people with an awareness of SIFT-MS think of it as a niche technique, with few obvious mainstream applications. This is just not true! And, with this forthcoming event, we hope to show you why you need SIFT-MS.

Whilst the focus will be on breath, malodour and biological applications, what is clear is that laboratories that have adopted SIFT-MS, find multiple other applications where it is a valuable analytical tool and how it drives collaboration in other areas. Add into the mix, automation and you have a powerful instrument at your disposal, that will plug the hole you currently have in your laboratory. Also, it’s fast.

Day 1

13:30 - 14:30 CET: An introduction to SIFT-MS with Mark Perkins (Mark Perkin)

14:45 – 15:45 CET: An overview on oral malodour and its diagnosis and measurement (Saliha Saad)

A discussion on the approach taken at UWE to study this condition and how we moved from one instrumental analysis to another throughout the years. The benefits the SIFT-MS have given to our work and how our work has attracted international collaborators to validate their small instruments with the SIFT-MS.

16:00 – 17:00 CET: Validation of Electronic Nose (NeOse) with the SIFT-MS (Collaboration between Aryballe (France) and UWE (Romain Dubreuil)

17:15 – 17:45 CET: SIFT-MS Used to Identify Differences in The Breath Volatile Profiles Whilst in Hungover Versus Non-hungover States (Keith Hewett)

The consumption of alcohol causes impairment long after ethanol has become undetectable in the bloodstream. Studies have shown that cognitive functions are affected leading to impairments in driving, flying and work-place performance. This study aimed to investigate the presence of several volatile metabolites in the breath of volunteers before and after alcohol consumption using SIFT-MS.