Agilent Technologies Announces New Technique for Rapid Analysis of Key Breast Milk Component
Agilent Technologies announced a new technique developed by a team of University of California at Davis (UCD) and Agilent scientists that enables rapid, detailed analysis of the composition of a group of bioactive molecules in breast milk.
Oligosaccharides (OGs) comprise the third-largest solid component of breast milk, following lactose and lipids. More than 200 OGs have been identified in recent decades, but, until now, there has been no way to measure their presence in an individual sample in a single test or run. Measuring and determining the role of OGs in breast milk has until now been hampered both by OGs' diversity and by inherent limitations of the research tools used, all requiring long run periods and huge sample quantities.
In a study recently published in the online version of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the UCD-Agilent group detailed its successful use of two Agilent analytical tools to identify presence of OGs in samples from five women in single runs. "The unique HPLC-Chip/TOF combination has enabled exciting new results and a more complete understanding of complex oligosaccharides moieties," says UC Davis chemistry professor Carlito Lebrilla, Ph.D., lead author of the paper. "This has significantly helped advance our team's OG research and will undoubtedly have extensions to other glycan structures, with applications in such important areas as biotherapeutics."
The structures of the individual OGs were determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS). Large variations were observed in the total numbers and abundances of OGs, with the total number per individual varying from 33 to 124. Only a few OGs were common to all subjects.
Other news from the department research and development
Most read news
More news from our other portals
See the theme worlds for related content
Topic World Mass Spectrometry
Mass spectrometry enables us to detect and identify molecules and reveal their structure. Whether in chemistry, biochemistry or forensics - mass spectrometry opens up unexpected insights into the composition of our world. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of mass spectrometry!
Topic World Mass Spectrometry
Mass spectrometry enables us to detect and identify molecules and reveal their structure. Whether in chemistry, biochemistry or forensics - mass spectrometry opens up unexpected insights into the composition of our world. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of mass spectrometry!