Tag Archives: pathogen detection

amandarigdon

Amanda Rigdon to Offer Guidance on Method Validation at Cannabis Labs Conference

By Aaron G. Biros
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amandarigdon

With multiple states now requiring third-party certification as part of licensing cannabis laboratories, there is a large role for laboratory accreditation in the cannabis industry. Using method validation can prove that your data is reproducible and that you have robust methods for sample preparation and calibration. All of these tools are instrumental in getting a laboratory accredited.

Amanda Rigdon, associate marketing manager for GC columns at Restek, Inc.
Amanda Rigdon, associate marketing manager for GC columns at Restek

Amanda Rigdon, associate marketing manager for gas chromatography columns at Restek, Inc., will deliver a presentation, Opportunities and Challenges for Method Validation in the Evolving Cannabis Industry, at the first annual Cannabis Labs Conference taking place this March 9th in Atlanta, Georgia. The Cannabis Labs Conference will be co-located with the third annual Food Labs Conference and the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon) at the Georgia World Congress Center.

scottradcliffe
Scott Radcliffe, technical support scientist at Romer Labs, Inc.

In her presentation, Rigdon will discuss established validation guidelines from a variety of regulatory bodies. “Method validation is absolutely critical to the cannabis industry,” she says. “Accurate test results not only help to protect consumers, but because of the high dollar value of cannabis products, accurate results can also protect producers from false positives, and laboratories in backing up their results.” She will also be sharing actual validation data from a number of cannabis analytical methods.

Scott Radcliffe, technical support scientist at Romer Labs, Inc., will share his validation methods of immunoassays for the detection of pathogens and mycotoxins in cannabis. He will include a discussion of specific rapid pathogen detection methods for Salmonella and E. coli O157 species. This will cover their small-scale validation studies with partner labs in Michigan and Washington for immunoassays.

stevegoldner
Stephen Goldner, Esq, founder of Pinnacle Laboratory and Regulatory Affairs Associates

Stephen Goldner, Esq, founder of Pinnacle Laboratories, will discuss how cannabis labs can apply FDA lab practices with recommendations for short and long term management implementation. Goldner’s presentation will include a discussion of  preparation for FDA involvement in sate regulatory systems.

Beyond validation methods in laboratories, the Cannabis Labs Conference will feature several presentations on ISO/IEC 17025:2005 compliance, the need for standardization, seed-to-sale traceability, FDA best lab practices and cannabis quality. Nic Easley, chief executive officer of Comprehensive Cannabis Consulting (3C), will deliver the keynote presentation on the role of quality assurance in the cannabis industry.

dana and dani luce

Setting a Benchmark in Cannabis Testing: GOAT Labs

By Aaron G. Biros
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dana and dani luce

GOAT Labs, Inc. is a veteran-owned, i502-certified cannabis testing company with laboratories in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The laboratory launched in 2010 by Dana Luce, the owner, with a personal mission to provide safe and tested cannabis to patients in need.

Dana Luce’s daughter, Dani Luce, CEO of GOAT Labs, has previous experience working in dialysis and watched cancer patients lose their battle to the illness. Many years later, Dani’s oldest son was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma. Cannabis proved instrumental in alleviating the side effects of chemotherapy. “With a severely compromised immune system, we had to find a place to test all the raw foods given to him, including cannabis,” says Dani Luce.

dana and dani luce
Dana Luce (left), owner of GOAT Labs, and Dani Luce (right), CEO, in the GOAT Labs office.

Dani Luce’s son was in remission nine months after starting chemotherapy in conjunction with cannabis and has now been in remission for five years. “We want to ensure patients are not ingesting something potentially toxic and that proper testing is done, which includes not only potency, but testing for microbials, pathogens, and pesticides.”

GOAT Labs is a member of the Cannabis Coalition for Standards and Ethics (CCSE) along with the American Oil Chemist Society (AOCS), where they participate in the Expert Committee for Cannabis Oil.

With pesticide use on cannabis recently entering the spotlight, there is a growing need for standards in cannabis testing. “We need better regulatory oversight so that all laboratories are standardized, including proficiency testing done by the state,” argues the Luce’s.

billlucesample
Bill Luce, lab technician at GOAT Labs, preparing samples for testing

Roger Brauninger, biosafety program manager of A2LA (American Association for Lab Accreditation), is working on an accreditation process for cannabis laboratories that would be accepted nationally. “We believe that an accreditation process would increase efficacy of lab results, reduce laboratory shopping, and create consistency with results across different laboratories,” says Brauninger.

GOAT Labs, among a number of other laboratories and organizations, is working toward putting cannabis in the lens of mainstream medicine. Not only are they looking to achieve a safe standard for medicine, they are advancing legalization efforts nationwide by setting the benchmark for getting patients access to safe, lab-tested cannabis.