"Targeted mass spectrometric methods for the determination of asthma biomarkers in human urine "
Dr. Anas El-Aneed (U. Saskatchewan)

High pressure liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) methods are developed to quantify 50 highly polar, low molecular-weight urine metabolites that were suggested as potential biomarkers for respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and COPD. Target metabolites were classified based on their functional groups into amines and phenols (group-1), carboxylic acids (group-2), and miscellaneous (group-3). Groups 1 and 2 contain 42 metabolites and were analyzed based on the differential isotope labeling (DIL) approach using C12/C13 labeled derivatizing reagents. Dansyl chloride (DNS-Cl) and dimethylaminophenacyl bromide reagent (DmPA) were selected for the derivatization of groups 1 and 2, respectively. The derivatization allows for the successful separation of the metabolites on a C18 column using gradient elution, while enhancing the MS response during positive electrospray ionization. Despite complexity, the developed methods were successfully validated according to the FDA guidelines. However, existing regulatory guidelines is established for xenobiotics compounds rather than endogenous ones, resulting in many challenges during the method validation process. Clinical data showed promising separation of COPD and asthma patients based on their quantitative metabolomic profiles.

Dr. El-Aneed is an Associate Professor at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan. He obtained his B.Sc. in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 1997 from Tishreen University, Syria.  He then completed a M.Sc. in 2003 in Pharmaceutics and Ph.D. in 2007 in Biochemistry from Memorial University of Newfoundland.  He was awarded the Governor General Gold medal for his Ph.D. thesis. He worked as Pharmacy Research Specialist at the Newfoundland and Labrador Center for Health Information 2006-2007 and joined the University of Saskatchewan in January 2008.  In 2012, he completed an MBA degree from the University of Saskatchewan. His main area of research is focused on the use of different mass spectrometry platforms for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of small organic compounds, with recent emphasis on lipid-based drug delivery systems, pharmaceuticals, and metabolites.  His funding sources are NSERC (Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada), SHRF (Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation), ADF (Agriculture Development Fund) and CFI (Canada Foundation for Innovation). He is currently the co-chair of the Saskatchewan Mass Spectrometry User Group.  

He is the guest of Dr. Dajana Vuckovic