MASS SPECTROMETRY
Is it time to bring mass spectrometry into the heart of routine diagnostics?
With diagnostic capabilities always evolving, Joanne Bradley explains why she believes the time is right for mass spectrometry to make the move from specialist settings into routine clinical use.
As laboratories across the UK continue to navigate rising testing demands, workforce pressures, and the shift towards personalised medicine, the question of how we evolve our diagnostic capabilities is more relevant than ever. The government’s recently published
10-Year Health Plan sets out a clear ambition to move towards a more preventative healthcare model, using earlier detection and intervention to improve outcomes and reduce pressures across the system.1
Diagnostics sits at the
heart of this vision, providing the data needed to inform timely, targeted care. Mass spectrometry, with its well- established reputation for precision, could play a greater role in supporting this shift – if it can be brought from specialist settings into routine clinical use. At this year’s IBMS Congress, Roche Diagnostics UK&I will showcase what that future could look like. On our stand, we will showcase the cobas Mass Spec solution for the first time in the UK – a fully automated, random-access mass spectrometry system designed to bring advanced testing into the core laboratory, supporting the NHS’s preventative ambitions while addressing the day-to- day realities of busy diagnostic services.2
Mass spectrometry – advantages and barriers Mass spectrometry is already a cornerstone technology in healthcare,
valued for its unmatched sensitivity and specificity in areas such as endocrinology, therapeutic drug monitoring, vitamin analysis and toxicology. The technology enables clinicians to detect low- abundance biomarkers, confirm results when immunoassays are inconclusive, and support decisions where precision is critical. For instance, early-stage cancer biomarkers often exist at minimal levels in biological samples. A mass spectrometry analyser can detect these low-abundance molecules,3 enabling more per diagnosis and improving the chances of successful treatment and in turn helping to
implement effective and responsible use of antibiotics4
and ongoing monitoring
of disease progression and treatment. Additionally, the specificity of mass spectrometry reduces the likelihood of false-positive results.5 Yet for many laboratories, mass
spectrometry remains out of reach. It typically requires manual, complex processes, dedicated experts, and often sits in a separate workflow from routine testing, making integration into busy laboratory environments challenging. And while immunoassay testing
remains the backbone of many high- throughput laboratories, there are clinical scenarios where mass spectrometry offers essential added value. Up until now, the main barrier has been access and the operational practicality of mass spectrometry.
Removing barriers through automation
Automation has transformed many aspects of laboratory medicine, making advanced
Mass spectrometry is already a cornerstone technology in healthcare, valued for its unmatched sensitivity and specificity in areas such as endocrinology, therapeutic drug monitoring, vitamin analysis and toxicology.
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