We are pleased to announce the addition of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd., as the newest member of the Center for Bioanalytic Metrology. Takeda produces lifesaving products to treat oncology, inflammation, neurology, gastroenterology as well as metabolic disorder diseases. Now one of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world since merging with Shire, Takeda has a longstanding commitment to excellence in scientific measurement science research.

“We were really impressed by the mission of this consortium from the beginning and are excited to be part of it now,” commented Muthu Meiyappan, Head of Advanced Analytical Technologies at Takeda. Mark T. Zell, Head, ADSM-US Structure Characterization Group, added, “I personally can’t wait to begin working with all of the center’s researchers. There is so much great science happening, and I am thrilled we are involved.”

"All of us at CBM warmly welcome our newest member and look forward to collaborating on many exciting projects in the future," said CBM director Paul Bohn.

Laboratory shutdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have slowed but not stopped progress on CBM collaborative projects with industry members. While all projects have experienced some delays owing to lab closures and work from home regulations, two CBM projects were actually able to apply for and win NSF RAPID funding for emergency response to the pandemic. Professors Merlin Bruening (Notre Dame) and Jacqueline Linnes (Purdue) were able to build upon their existing project for creating a point-of-care diagnostic for measuring patient levels of therapeutic antibodies to add a program that seeks to develop rapid point-of-care assays for antibodies indicative of infection by SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Professors Martin Jarrold and David Clemmer at Indiana University were able to expand their CBM project investigating the use of Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry (CD-MS) for the analysis of Megadalton proteins (molecules with a molecular weight greater than one million) of interest to CBM members to encompass analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the antibody response to COVID-19. Students working on the NSF RAPID projects were granted essential personnel status, allowing them to remain in the laboratory throughout the pandemic, albeit with intense use of personal protective equipment and social distancing. “Our students are very proud and motivated to be helping out on the front lines of our fight against this terrible disease,” commended David Clemmer, a sentiment echoed across all of our CBM-RAPID project leaders.

Work is progressing apace on all CBM projects, with Zoom meetings becoming the norm for project coordination and research planning. Facility shutdowns during March, April, and May slowed the pace of sample and equipment transfers between sites, but these issues are now largely resolved. For example, a library of 30,000 different compounds arrayed in 384 well microplates was recently transferred from Eli Lilly to the laboratory of Professor Graham Cooks of Purdue, where they are being analyzed by high throughput mass spectrometry to aid with machine learning studies that are being carried out in conjunction with Professor Gaurav Chopra. “There were certainly COVID-caused delays,” commented Cooks, “but we are now moving ahead well with industrial member-supplied samples. It is really refreshing to work with industrial colleagues.”

As part of their commitment to CBM, Agilent has placed a top of the line LC/MS 6495C Triple Quadrupole system in the lab of Professor Gaurav Chopra at Purdue, where it will be used for the CBM project on Machine Learning for Multiple Reaction Monitoring Mass Spectrometry that is being carried out in conjunction with the Cooks Lab, as well as other CBM projects. “The new instrument is a godsend to our laboratory,” commented Chopra, whose students are now receiving training and will soon be sharing results with the Agilent team and other CBM industry members.

To blow off steam, I like to: I enjoy spending time outdoors, baking, playing videogames, and listening to podcasts.