Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Location: Elk Grove Holiday Inn
Registration: 5:30-6:30; Dinner: 6:30; Speaker: 7:30

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Ultra-sensitive Applications in Drug Development and Personalized Medicine
by
Ali Arjomand , Ph.D.
(President and Scientific Director, Accium Biosciences)

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a detection platform capable of routinely performing high-precision ultra-sensitive quantitation of radiolabeled molecules in clinical samples. AMS was first widely adopted by archeologists for radiocarbon dating applications and found applications in the biological and pharmaceutical sciences starting in the early 1990s. AMS has since demonstrated unique problem-solving ability in nutrition science, toxicology and pharmacology. AMS has also enabled the development of new applications such as Phase 0 microdosing studies. Recent deployment of AMS-enabled applications has transformed this novelty research instrument into a valuable tool within the pharmaceutical industry. Specific advantages of AMS-enabled clinical studies include (i) ultra-sensitive method with attomole (10^-18) sensitivity in a clinical setting; (ii) very little sample is required for quantitation; (iii) sample preparation requires little or no method development and measurement is free of ion suppression or matrix effects; and (iv) reduces radioisotope exposure to study subjects and often eliminates the need to handle samples and waste as radioactive material. Although there is now greater awareness of AMS technology, appreciation for the range of AMS-enabled applications is still lacking, as well as recognition of some of its limitations.

This presentation will provide further insight into AMS instrumentation and offer examples of AMS-enabled metabolite profiling, mass balance and absolute bioavailability studies. New AMS-enabled protocols in personalized medicine will be  presented including applications for the individualized therapy of glioblastoma multiforme, the most deadly form of brain cancer.

Register