FDA rekindles symposium on applied MS On September 12 and 13, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held its first technology symposium on MS in 15 years. The symposium, co-sponsored by the FDA National Center for Toxicology Research (NCTR) and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), boasted a speaker list of many of the top names in the field. Organizers Jackson Lay, Jr., of NCTR and James Sphon of CFSAN say the symposium, which attracted 250 participants, reflects the agency's growing interest in applying modern MS methods to its regulatory work and research goals. The FDA also used the symposium as an occasion to recognize Sphon, who received an award from the agency's Office of Science for sustained achievement in regulatory MS. Sphon, director of the Center's MS lab, developed the currently used three-ion-peak minimum criterion for valid regulatory MS identification. Several trends were emphasized in the presentations. On-line LC/MS, especially with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization or electrospray ionization, is likely to be one of the most adaptable combinations for regulatory methods development. Ion trap MS, now available in most FDA labs, is also of growing interest to the regulatory labs because it can be used for
MS" and may enable those labs to pursue multianalyte determinations inexpensively. Graham Cooks of Purdue University described some of the recent advances that have made ion trap MS reliable enough for regulatory work, and Thomas Cairns, formerly of FDA, now of Psychemedics, described trace and multiresidue analyses in typically complex food matrices. Lay, Michael Gross of Washington University, and Michelle Buchanan of Oak Ridge National Laboratory discussed applying MS/MS structural characterization methods to study carcinogen interactions with DNA. Bernard Schwetz, director of NCTR and the FDA's associate commissioner for science, discussed some regulatory implications of this research. "MS gives us a handle to look at the [mechanisms of carcinogenesis] directly and may let us get away from having to rely only on toxicological endpoint observations [in animal models]." Donald Hunt of the University of Virginia gave another perspective on the potential of MS in cancer research in his talk on characterizing signal peptides excreted by virus- or tumor-infected cells. Knowing the structures of these peptides could allow researchers to develop vaccines against tumors. Schwetz announced plans to hold another FDA MS symposium within the next three years, in part to foster closer ties
NOMINATIONS • Findeis Award The Division of Analytical Chemistry is soliciting nominations for a new award, the Arthur F. Findeis Award for Achievements by a Young Analytical Scientist. The award, sponsored by the Phillip Morris Companies, is in memory of Arthur F. Findeis, former head of the National Science Foundation Chemistry Division's Office of Special Projects, and is intended to recognize outstanding contributions to the fields of analytical chemistry by a young scientist. This first award will be presented at the Eastern Analytical Symposium in November 1996 and will consist of $4000, a plaque, and a travel allowance to attend the ceremony. Nominees must have earned their highest degree between Jan. 1,1986, and Jan. 1, 1996. Contributions by a candidate that have been recognized by a prior Divisional or ACS national award will not be considered for this award. For additional information, contact Henry Blount at 3234 Valley La., Falls Church, VA 22044-1739 (703-3061841; fax 703-306-0534). For this inaugural presentation only, deadline is Dec. 1.
between the MS research community and the FDA laboratories. He and Lay both believe increased cooperation may help the agency develop more cost-effective regulatory methods. "An example was Jon Wilkes's talk on pyrolysis MS for bacterial identification," says Lay. "That came out of Army research on biological defense. We were able to apply their R&D to our problems with bacterial contamination in foods."
New DAC officers Edward S. Yeung of Iowa State University/Ames Laboratory began a one-year term as chair of the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry on Oct. 1. He joins Stephen Wise of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, chair-elect; Robert Thompson of Oberlin College, secretary; Michelle Buchanan of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, treasurer; four councilors; and four alternate councilors as members of the executive committee of the Division. The chair also serves as an ex-officio member of the Analytical Chemistry Editorial Advisory Board. Elections are held each spring; winners are announced at the fall national meeting.
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