3rd place for Anders Grimsmo's oxysterol poster

This weekend, Anders Grimsmo (one of my students) was awarded 3rd prize for his poster, "Determinations of oxysterols in the Hh pathway using capillary LC-MS" at the Sandefjord Chromatography Symposium. Anders is also co-author on an upcoming paper on oxysterol analysis.

Way to go!!

MULTI-AWARD WINNING YOUNG CAST SCIENTIST

This week, Hanne Røberg-Larsen (SFI-CAST) was recently awarded the GE Healthcare Young Scientist award, for her Master thesis entitled “Determination of oxysterols in cancer stem cells using on-line automated filtration and filter-flush solid phase extraction liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry”.  In addition to this achievement, Hanne has had a good year; In January, she was awarded the Water Innovation Prize, for her lecture on analysis of oxysterols using “AFFL-SPE-LC”, a technique that she and two other co-inventors (Kristin Svendsen and supervisor Steven Ray Wilson) have applied for a patent together with Inven2. Also, she is second author of a paper that was published this summer, and first author on a paper recently submitted.  Hanne was supervised by Steven Ray Wilson, Elsa Lundanes, Tyge Greibrokk and Stefan Krauss.

Way to go!!!

No more clogged columns: AFFL-SPE-LC

Automatic filtration and filter flush for robust online solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography

Kristin O. Svendsen, Hanne R. Larsen, Siri A. Pedersen, Ida Brenna, Elsa Lundanes, Steven R. Wilson

J. Sep. Sci. DOI: 10.1002/jssc.201100553

Abstract

Online solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography (SPE-LC) with microbore or capillary columns was significantly improved regarding robustness, as an easily installed automatic filtration and filter flushing (AFFL) procedure was added to avoid system clogging. Specifically, an injected sample is passed through a union containing a stainless steel filter prior to SPE trapping. The filter stops any particulate matter from reaching the SPE. When the SPE is subsequently connected to the LC column by column switching, a separate pump backflushes the filter-union, removing the particulate matter off the filter after each injection. This feature greatly reduced backpressure buildup over the entire system.

Our method for fast, low pressure nano LC-MS

High efficiency, high temperature separations on silica based monolithic columns

Magnus Rogeberg, Steven Ray Wilson, Helle Malerod, Elsa Lundanes, Nobuo Tanaka and Tyge Greibrokk

The effect of temperature on separation using reversed-phase monolithic columns has been investigated using a nano-LC pumping system for gradient separation of tryptic peptides with MS detection. A goal of this study was to find optimal conditions for high-speed separations. The chromatographic performance of the columns was evaluated by peak capacity and peak capacity per time unit. Column lengths ranging from 20 to 100 cm and intermediate gradient times from 10 to 30 minutes were investigated to assess the potential of these columns in a final step separation, e.g. after fractionation or specific sample preparation. Flow rates from 250 to 2000 nL/min and temperatures from 20 to 120 °C were investigated. Temperature had a significant effect on fast separations, and a flow rate of 2000 nL/min and a temperature of 80 °C gave the highest peak capacity per time unit. These settings produced 70% more protein identifications in a biological sample compared to a conventional packed column. Alternatively, an equal amount of protein identifications was obtained with a 40% reduction in run time compared to the conventional packed column. 

Open access to our latest paper:

A Novel Synthetic Smoothened Antagonist Transiently Inhibits Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Xenografts in a Mouse Model

Martin F. Strand, Steven R. Wilson, Jennifer L. Dembinski, Daniel D. Holsworth, Alexander Khvat, Ilya Okun, Dirk Petersen, Stefan Krauss

Using Shh-Light II (Shh-L2) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) based screening formats on a “focused diversity” library we identified a novel small molecule inhibitor of the Hh pathway, MS-0022 (2-bromo-N-(4-(8-methylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-2-yl)phenyl)benzamide). MS-0022 showed effective Hh signaling pathway inhibition at the level of SMO in the low nM range, and Hh pathway inhibition downstream of Suppressor of fused (SUFU) in the low µM range. MS-0022 reduced growth in the tumor cell lines PANC-1, SUIT-2, PC-3 and FEMX in vitro. MS-0022 treatment led to a transient delay of tumor growth that correlated with a reduction of stromal Gli1 levels in SUIT-2 xenografts in vivo.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0019904