Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry in Newborn Screening Laboratories

Michael H. Gelb, Khaja Basheeruddin, Alberto Burlina, Hsiao-Jan Chen, Yin-Hsiu Chien, George Dizikes, Christine Dorley, Roberto Giugliani, Amy Hietala, Xinying Hong, Shu-Min Kao, Hamid Khaledi, Tracy Klug, Francyne Kubaski, Hsuan-Chieh Liao, Monica Martin, Adrienne Manning, Joseph Orsini, Yin Peng, Enzo RanieriAndreas Rohrwasser, Nicolas Szabo-Fresnais, Coleman T. Turgeon, Frédérick M. Vaz, Li-Yun Wang, Dietrich Matern

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is the most universal platform currently available for the analysis of enzymatic activities and biomarkers in dried blood spots (DBS) for applications in newborn screening (NBS). Among the MS/MS applications in NBS, the most common is flow-injection analysis (FIA-) MS/MS, where the sample is introduced as a bolus injection into the mass spectrometer without the prior fractionation of analytes. Liquid chromatography combined with MS/MS (LC-MS/MS) has been employed for second-tier tests to reduce the false-positive rate associated with several nonspecific screening markers, beginning two decades ago. More recently, LC-MS/MS has been applied to primary screening for new conditions for which FIA-MS/MS or other methods, including genomic screening, are not yet adequate. In addition to providing a list of the currently used LC-MS/MS-based assays for NBS, the authors share their experience regarding the maintenance requirements of LC-MS/MS vs. FIA-MS/MS systems. The consensus is that the maintenance of LC-MS/MS and FIA-MS/MS instrumentation is similar, and LC-MS/MS has the advantage of allowing for a larger number of diseases to be screened for in a multiplex, cost-effective fashion with a high throughput and an adequate turnaround time.
Original languageEnglish
Article number62
JournalInternational Journal of Neonatal Screening
Volume8
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2022

Keywords

  • dried blood spots
  • inborn errors of metabolism
  • liquid chromatography
  • newborn screening
  • reflex testing
  • tandem mass spectrometry

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