Biological quality control

Lehrman MA Oligosaccharide-based information in endoplasmic reticulum quality control and other biological systems. J Biol Chem. 2001 276 8623. 

DNA analysis, performance of polymerase chain reactions, clinical assays for pH, enzymes, proteins, oxygen etc., trace pollution monitoring and other sorts of biological analyzes are at the focus of recent developments [5]. Another reference lists environmental monitoring (including speciation), clinical monitoring, and quality control in production processes as applications of pTAS equipment in chemical analysis [30]. 

Ihnat M (1988c) Biological reference materials for quality control. In McKenzie HA, Smythe LE, eds. Quantitative Trace Analysis of Biological Materials, pp 331-351. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam. 

The source of all biological RMs is new accessions , i.e. a new organism. Once one is received, it is grown in fresh medium and a set of seed stock vials are made along with a distribution batch of vials. Quality control is performed on the seed material and the distribution batch. When the first distribution batch is exhausted, another new lot is made by propagating only from the seed material. The seed stock is always the closest material to the original deposit available for propagation and verification. 

The potential for the employment of plasma emission spectrometry is enormous and it is finding use in almost every field where trace element analysis is carried out. Some seventy elements, including most metals and some non-metals, such as phosphorus and carbon, may be determined individually or in parallel. As many as thirty or more elements may be determined on the same sample. Table 8.4 is illustrative of elements which may be analysed and compares detection limits for plasma emission with those for ICP-MS and atomic absorption. Rocks, soils, waters and biological tissue are typical of samples to which the method may be applied. In geochemistry, and in quality control of potable waters and pollution studies in general, the multi-element capability and wide (105) dynamic range of the method are of great value. Plasma emission spectrometry is well established as a routine method of analysis in these areas. 

Franks, F. 1982. Water activity as a measure of biological viability and quality control. Cereal Foods World 27, 403 107. 

John Howe, an analyst in the laboratory of MDS Pharma Services in Lincoln, Nebraska, checks an auto-sampler tray used with an HPLC instrument in the analysis of biological samples for drugs. A given run may include a large number of sample extracts to run alongside quality controls and standards, hence the need for an auto-sampler. 

All data obtained by these novel techniques require a very deep and multifaceted analysis, in order to check the principal and fundamentals variables and to reject the others. In this scenario, chemometrics provide scientists with useful tools to interpret the large amounts of data generated by these complex analytical assays and allows for quality control, classification procedures, modelling studies. Discrimination between different molecules available as novel drugs and molecules having no interesting biological activities is easy by means of multivariate analysis. 

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