Novel spectroscopy technique could improve safety and quality of heparin
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[Credit: JLMcAnally/Shutterstock.com].
Using a state-of-the-art chemical imaging technique called time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), researchers have developed an analytical method that is
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Credit: University of Nottingham
A new method to analyse the blood thinning drug Heparin has been developed that can pinpoint contaminants more accurately and quickly, providing greater quality control and safety.
An interdisciplinary team from the University of Nottingham s Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine have used the latest chemical imaging technology to identify contaminants in Heparin at the nanoscale, a discovery that manufacturers could use to improve the quality and safety of this widely used anticoagulant drug. The research has been published in
Communications Chemistry.
Heparin is naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan (GAG) but is also widely used widely as a medication. It is often used as an anticoagulant (blood thinner) before and after surgery but is also used in kidney dialysis and in blood processing. Pharmaceutical-grade heparin is derived from mucosal tissues of pig intestines or cow lungs. The majority of Heparin is made in China and in 2008 there were a numb
Scientific American
The system could someday provide fast results at a crime scene
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A sleepy driver on a dark road hears a loud “thump!” and later finds a speck of blood on the front bumper. Or police spot a tiny but suspicious bloodstain at a crime scene. Quickly determining whether such traces come from humans or animals is crucial, but the necessary tests can be time-consuming and may destroy valuable evidence. Researchers say a new technique could help.
To develop a rapid, nondestructive way to identify human blood, State University of New York at Albany forensic chemists Igor Lednev and Ewelina Mistek-Morabito combined spectroscopy and statistics. They shined infrared light on dried samples of human blood and on those of 10 animal species, including common pets such as dogs, cats and ferrets, as well as deer and elk (both of which are often struck by vehicles). The researchers recorded the reflected light, the spectrum of which changes based on blood s compo