Dr Helen Martin at BBCon 2024 – Markes International Sponsored Talk
Advancing breathomics workflows: Innovations in thermal desorption to support large scale studies
00:00 Introduction
00:28 Presentation – ‘Advancing Breathomics Workflows: Innovations in thermal desorption to support large scale studies
12:28 Question and answer session
Talk Abstract:
Breath-based biomarker discovery is advancing rapidly, with many studies scaling up to large clinical trials and identifying viable candidate marker compounds. As sample sizes increase, so do the study durations and personnel requirements, underscoring the need for reliable automation, high throughput methods, and rigorous quality control. Thermal desorption (TD) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is the gold standard for breath analysis, particularly suited for large-scale trials due to its compatibility with remote sampling, ease of sample storage and shipment, and high automation.
In this presentation, we introduce new instruments designed to streamline workflows and reduce the quality control burden in high throughput laboratories and longitudinal studies. The Re-collect 10™ enables splitting a single sample onto up to 10 sorbent tubes, allowing for the simultaneous generation of 10 replicate quality control or calibration standards, saving over an hour of analysts’ time per set. Additionally, it facilitates the creation of pooled biological samples with representative matrices for quality control, inter-laboratory studies, and method development. The Dual-TDTM system doubles the productivity of TD-GC systems by enabling simultaneous processing and analysis of two samples, ideal for high throughput labs needing to verify the cleanliness of sorbent tubes or sampling apparatus.
These advancements not only streamline workflows but also ensures consistency and reliability across different study conditions and locations, ultimately pushing the boundaries of biomarker research and clinical application.
Speaker Biography:
As Thermal Desorption Business Unit Manager at Markes International, Helen oversees research and development, application development and product marketing for the TD instrument range. Helen joined Markes International in 2012 as a technical support specialist and has spent time working in new product development and product marketing. Before starting her career with Markes, Helen gained a PhD from Loughborough University in clinical metabolomics, during which her primary research focus was developing non-invasive sampling strategies for breath, skin and saliva for analysis by thermal desorption with GC-MS.
The Breath Biopsy Conference 2025 is scheduled for the 5th November. Click the button to express interest in the next Breath Biopsy Conference: