Open Access

Flow cytometry-based immunoassays are valuable in biomedical research and clinical applications due to their high throughput and multianalyte capability, but their adoption in areas such as food safety and environmental monitoring is limited by long assay times and complex workflows. Rapid, simplified bead-based cytometric immunoassays are needed to make these methods viable for point-of-need applications, especially with the increasing accessibility of miniaturized cytometers. This work introduces superparamagnetic hybrid polystyrene-silica core−shell microparticles as promising alternatives to conventional polymer beads in competitive cytometric immunoassays. These beads, featuring high specificity, sensitivity, and excellent handling capabilities via magnetic separation, were evaluated with three different antibodies and binding methods, showing variations in signal intensity based on the antibody and its attachment method. The optimal performance was achieved through a secondary antibody binding approach, providing strong and consistent signals with minimal uncertainty. The optimized protocol made it possible to achieve a detection limit of 0.025 nM in a total assay time of only 15 min and was successfully used to detect ochratoxin A (OTA) in raw flour samples. This work highlights the potential of these beads as versatile tools for flow cytometry-based immunoassays, with significant implications for food safety, animal health, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnostics.

The analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) via sum parameters like extractable organic fluorine (EOF) in combination with high resolution-continuum source-graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR–CS–GFMAS) is highly promising regarding fluorine sensitivity and selectivity. However, the HR–CS–GFMAS method includes several drying and heating steps which can lead to losses of volatile PFAS before the molecular formation step using e.g., GaF formation. Hence, the method leads to a strong discrimination of PFAS within the EOF depending on their physical/chemical properties and is therefore associated with reduced accuracy. To reduce this discrepancy and to indicate realistic PFAS pollution values, an optimization of the HR–CS–GFMAS method for PFAS analysis is needed. Hence, we determined fluorine response factors of several PFAS with different physical/chemical properties upon application of systematic optimization steps. We could therefore improve the method's sensitivity for PFAS analysis using a modifier drying pre-treatment step followed by a sequential injection of sample solutions. The highest improvement in sensitivity of volatile PFAS was shown upon addition of a Mg modifier during drying pre-treatment. Thereby, during optimization the relative standard deviation of fluorine response factors could be reduced from 55 % (initial method) to 27 % (optimized method) leading to a more accurate determination of organofluorine sum parameters. The method provides an instrumental LOD and LOQ of β(F) 1.71 μg/L and 5.13 μg/L, respectively. Further validation aimed to investigate several matrix effects with respect to water matrices. Here, substance-specific behavior was observed. For example, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) which was used as calibrator, showed signal suppressions upon high chloride concentrations (>50 mg/L). Hence, a thorough separation of Cl from analytes during sample preparation is needed for accurate sum parameter analysis.

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies are the fastest-growing class of biological agents and the development of reliable analytical methods for their quantification is becoming increasingly important. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) represents one of the leading technologies for antibody quantification. The serin protease trypsin has emerged as the gold standard enzyme for digesting intact protein into peptides for this approach. However, many protocols exist that often lead to different results. The talk will provide a brief introduction to the application of novel thermostable and surface-functionalized trypsin particles for improved antibody digestion as well as initial successes in polymer functionalization of the corundum surface to prevent nonspecific protein adsorption during the digestion procedure.

Every day, there are new headlines in the media about microplastics (1-1000 µm, ISO/TR 21960:2020) and nanoplastics (< 1 µm, ISO/TR 21960:2020) findings all over the planet with high variations in particle number and mass. The challenges in analytics are very complex, e.g. representative sampling, non-destructive sample preparation with concentrated particles and homogeneous distribution and true detection. All together lead to lacks in harmonization and results, which are hardly comparable. On the other hand, monitoring of microplastics is mandatory in the future strictly regulated by the EU commission in the Drinking water and Wastewater Framework Directive. One step to accurate and precise results will be the development of suitable reference materials mimicking particles in the environment. BAM developed test materials, which are produced by mixing a small portion of microplastic particles with a water-soluble matrix. After solid phase dilution and homogenisation small portions are pressed into tablets and bottled in glass vials (Figure 1). These tablets are well characterized with particle size distribution and SEM images. Additionally, they are tested as reference material candidate according to homogeneity and stability for particle number with µ-IR and µ-Raman as well as on particle mass with Py-GC/MS and TED-GC/MS after ISO Guide 35. Results are promising. The material passed the homogeneity control. No changes are observed within 6 months of storage. The same tested reference material is finally used in sample preparation experiments, where environmental suspended particular matter from surface water or baby milk powders are spiked with the tablets.

Die Gruppe der PFAS (Per- und polyfluorierte Alkylsubstanzen) mit mehr als 10.000 Substanzen stellt ein zunehmendes Problem bei der Bewertung und Entsorgung belasteter Abfälle dar. Die zuverlässige PFAS-Analytik stellt hier aufgrund der Vielzahl an Einzelparametern mit zum Teil sehr großen Konzentrationsunterschieden eine komplexe Herausforderung dar. Der Vortrag gibt zunächst einen Überblick über grundlegende Anforderungen an die LC-MS/MS Analytik von PFAS-Targetsubstanzen. Am Beispiel eines von BAM und SenMVKU organisierten Ringversuches 2024 zur Bestimmung von PFAS in Bodenproben (Feststoffe und Eluate) wird auf spezifische Fragestellungen zur PFAS-Analytik eingegangen. Zur Verbesserung von Richtigkeit und Vergleichbarkeit ist die Einhaltung von Normvorgaben und die Anwendung von Qualitätssicherungsmaßnahmen unerlässlich. Hierzu gehören u.a. die Verwendung zuverlässiger Kalibrierstandards, die Kalibrierung mit definierten n-Isomeren, die Quantifizierung der Summe aus n-/br-Isomeren, der Einsatz isotopenmarkierter interner Standards für die LC-MS/MS Analyse, die Verwendung von Matrix-Referenzmaterialien sowie die Teilnahme an Ringversuchen.