Peak makes MVZ Labor's research easier

Name: Anja Krüger

Job Title: Clinical Toxicology Coordinator

Company: MVZ Labor Dr. Fenner & Kollegen

Anja Krüger with her Waters XEVO and Genius NM32LA

Reliability a bonus for toxicology lab

The research Anja Krüger, Clinical Toxicology Coordinator, and her colleagues at the MVZ Lab in Hamburg, Germany, carry out is focused on human medical diagnostics aiming to discover the causes of diseases and illnesses. With more than 100 medical technicians performing analysis on more than 1500 separate parameters, the lab uses a number of instruments and analytical techniques in their day to day lab analysis.

When asked about how Peak Scientific gas generators have impacted on her lab analysis, Anja commented the following:

Typically, what is the focus of your LC-MS analysis - what sort of applications?

“Our LC-MS systems are mainly used to determine drug levels in serum, but also for drug screening in saliva, specific drugs in urine and methylmalonic acid and steroid hormones.”

What Peak Scientific generators do you have in your laboratory and what LC-MS instruments do they supply?

“We use two Genius NM32LA nitrogen gas generators for the Waters XEVO TQD and TQS devices.”

What prompted you to choose a Peak generator and how long have you used them?

“The generators are part of the Waters LC-MS systems and have been established in our laboratory since the end of 2014.”

The Genius NM32LA fits under a standard lab bench

What has been the key benefit of deploying Peak generators as opposed to your previous gas supply solution?

“The key benefit has been the compatibility with our Waters instruments.”

How would you describe your purchasing experience with Peak in terms of speed of response, ease of ordering, catering for your needs and timing of delivery?

“Our generators were delivered together with the LC-MS system from Waters”

Have you ever had a site visit from a Peak engineer, if so, could you describe your experience of this support?

“Contact with the service has so far been only for maintenance purposes, since the devices run very well.”

Would you recommend Peak Scientific generators to other laboratories - and if so, what would be your main reason for the recommendation?

“Since we began using the equipment, there has not been a device failure. Reliability is the main argument for purchasing a Peak gas generator.”

With use of LC-MS instruments supported by Peak Scientific gas generators, Anja’s research into drug levels and screening has been made easier by removing the need for cylinders in the lab. Cylinders require an inconvenient and inefficient amount of precious laboratory time.

LC-MS instruments require higher flows of gas and as a result cylinders will often need replacing to allow for the continued operation of the instrument. This inevitably interrupts analysis whilst the changeover is carried out. Furthermore, stocks of cylinders must be held on-site, taking up valuable workspace, and cylinder supply stocks need managed and reordered, an additional administrative task a lab can do without. The introduction of a gas generator removes the hassle associated with cylinders, freeing up lab workers’ time to focus on what is important, their analysis.

With two reliable Peak Genius NM32LAs in their lab, the team at MVZ Labor Dr. Fenner & Kollegen are using the most reliable gas supply on the market, with thousands operating in labs around the world. Supporting these high performance gas generators are a team of highly trained field service engineers meaning that in the unlikely event a problem occurs, an engineer will be on-site to ensure analysis interruption is kept to an absolute minimum, a global service not offered by any other gas generator manufacturer on the market.

Peak Scientific manufactures and distributes two core series of nitrogen generators for LC-MS. Our Genius series are true standalone systems, featuring integrated internal compressors these generators are available in a variety of flow rates and system configurations to meet the gas delivery requirements of LC-MS systems manufactured by the world’s leading instrument manufacturers. Peak also manufacture compressor-less nitrogen generators for labs with an internal supply of air which are also compatible with LC-MS systems from the world’s leading providers. It is important to ensure that the air supply to your Infinity meets, at a minimum quality, ISO8753-1:2010 Class 1.4.1.