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19 July 2021 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied
Fletcher Hiten, Chief Bioanalyst at FARMOVS, next to Aurora.
The Bioanalytical Services Division (BASD) at FARMOVS comprises a group of skilled and passionate scientists involved in the quantification of drugs, metabolites, and biomarkers in various biological matrices. One of their Analytical Science experts, Fletcher Hiten, explains what sets their team apart from the rest.

“Over the past 47 years, we have developed almost 600 validated assay methods. Most of these methods are for the analysis of ‘small’ molecules using chromatographic techniques such as LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, and HPLC, although LC-MS/MS is the technique of choice. New bioanalytical assays are continuously being development and validated in adherence to international regulatory guidelines set by the US-FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA),” says Hiten.

“Recently, we decided to enhance our capabilities by recruiting exceptional talent. The newest member of the FARMOVS team is Aurora, a SCIEX Triple Quad™ 7500 LC-MS/MS mass analyser. Aurora is Latin for ‘dawn’: the beginning of a new era, especially one considered favourable. The SCIEX 7500 is currently marketed as the most sensitive triple quadrupole mass spectrometer available, allowing for sub-picogram/ml quantification. This means that Aurora will set FARMOVS apart from other clinical research organisations (CROs), creating an exciting and favourable landscape for clients to explore new partners in research.” 

Hiten stated: “If there was ever a time to move your next study to FARMOVS, it is now. To have Aurora on our team has many advantages, given that our clients can access unprecedented analytical sensitivity, which enables the quantification of pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles of drugs that have very low systemic absorption. These include predominantly local acting drugs, such as plasma concentrations of respiratory drugs (e.g., tiotropium and ipratropium), topically applied creams and ointments, and ophthalmology drops with ultra-sensitivity.”

“In addition, the quantification of drugs in low-volume matrices will also be exponentially enhanced, enabling the quantification of body fluids, where only a few microlitres can be collected, for example vaginal fluid, dried blood spots, cerebrospinal fluid, aqueous humour, synovial fluid, and epidermal micro-dialysis lysate – to name a few. The quantification of absorbed exogenous drugs into tissue, like vaginal biopsies and hair follicles, is also possible,” added Hiten. 

“And finally, multiple analyte analysis. In this case, the collected blood sample needs to be split into multiple aliquots for analysis, for example drug-drug interaction (DDI) studies with the Basel cocktail. The smaller sample volumes will allow more frequent sampling to be feasible and thus more accurate DDI interpretation,” Hiten explains.

“As a bio-analyst, one is seldom surprised. However, Aurora has already opened doors to new frontiers for our entire team and we cannot wait to do some more exploration,” says Hiten. 

To find out more about what Aurora and the FARMOVS team can do for your study, email business@farmovs.com. 

News Archive

UFS awarded five South African Research Chairs
2016-09-30

Description: South African Research Chairs Tags: South African Research Chairs

From left to right, Prof Maryke Labuschagne,
Prof Corli Witthuhn (Vice-Rector: Research),
Prof Hendrik Swart and Prof Felicity Burt.

The UFS was awarded five SARChI (South African Research Chairs Initiative) research chairs, the main goal of which is to promote research excellence. In addition, there has been an increase in the rating of the University’s researchers as the result of raised academic standards over the past few years, in line with the UFS’s Academic Project. As of 2016 the UFS has 127 NRF-rated researchers.

The following research chairs have been awarded to the UFS since 2013:

Prof Hendrik Swart from the Department of Physics is the research chair of Solid State Luminescent and Advanced Materials (2013-2017). Prof Swart’s research may assist in reducing vulnerability and contributing to poverty alleviation by providing affordable lighting for people in rural areas through fabricating phosphors and the development of nanophosphors.

Prof Maryke Labuschagne from the Department of Plant Sciences is the research chair of Disease Resistance and Quality in Field Crops (2016-2020). Prof Labuschagne believes that food security is one of the key factors for stability and prosperity on the continent. Her research and that of her students focuses on the genetic improvement of food security crops in Africa, including such staples as maize and cassava.

Research Chairs have been designed, to attract
and retain excellence in research and innovation
at South African universities.

Prof Melanie Walker, from the Department of Higher Education and Human Development, was awarded the research chair from 2013 to 2017. Prof Walker’s research interrogates the role of higher education in order to advance human development and justice in education and society, especially in relation to severe inequalities and poverty. Significantly, it asks what kind of societies we want, what is important in a democratic society, and thus, what kind of higher education is valuable, relevant and desirable.

Prof Felicity Burt from the Department of Medical Microbiology was recently awarded the research chair from 2016 to 2020, to investigate medically significant vector-borne and zoonotic viruses currently; to define associations between these viruses and specific disease manifestations that have previously not been described in our region, to increase awareness of these pathogens; to further our understanding of host immune responses, which should facilitate development of novel treatments or vaccines and drug discovery.

The Humanities without Borders: Trauma, History and Memory research chair was awarded from 2016 to 2020. The Institute for Social Justice and Reconciliation will use this research chair to investigate historical trauma within two African contexts – those of South Africa and Rwanda. The research hopes to bring insight into the role that memory plays in the formation of the experience of trauma, and to bring about healing of the trauma.

Research Chairs have been designed by the Department of Science and Technology, together with the National Research Foundation, to attract and retain excellence in research and innovation at South African public universities.

 

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