Tag Archives: restek

amandarigdon
The Practical Chemist

Easy Ways to Generate Scientifically Sound Data

By Amanda Rigdon
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I have been working with the chemical analysis side of the cannabis industry for about six years, and I have seen tremendous scientific growth on the part of cannabis labs over that time. Based on conversations with labs and the presentations and forums held at cannabis analytical conferences, I have seen the cannabis analytical industry move from asking, “how do we do this analysis?” to asking “how do we do this analysis right?” This change of focus represents a milestone in the cannabis industry; it means the industry is growing up. Growing up is not always easy, and that is being reflected now in a new focus on understanding and addressing key issues such as pesticides in cannabis products, and asking important questions about how regulation of cannabis labs will occur.

While sometimes painful, growth is always good. To support this evolution, we are now focusing on the contribution that laboratories make to the safety of the cannabis consumer through the generation of quality data. Much of this focus has been on ensuring scientifically sound data through regulation. But Restek is neither a regulatory nor an accrediting body. Restek is dedicated to helping analytical chemists in all industries and regulatory environments produce scientifically sound data through education, technical support and expert advice regarding instrumentation and supplies. I have the privilege of supporting the cannabis analytical testing industry with this goal in mind, which is why I decided to write a regular column detailing simple ways analytical laboratories can improve the quality of their chromatographic data right now, in ways that are easy to implement and are cost effective.

Anyone with an instrument can perform chromatographic analysis and generate data. Even though results are generated, these results may not be valid. At the cannabis industry’s current state, no burden of proof is placed on the analytical laboratory regarding the validity of its results, and there are few gatekeepers between those results and the consumer who is making decisions based on them. Even though some chromatographic instruments are super fancy and expensive, the fact is that every chromatographic instrument – regardless of whether it costs ten thousand or a million dollars – is designed to spit out a number. It is up to the chemist to ensure that number is valid.

In the first couple of paragraphs of this article, I used terms to describe ‘good’ data like ‘scientifically-sound’ or ‘quality’, but at the end of the day, the definition of ‘good’ data is valid data. If you take the literal meaning, valid data is justifiable, logically correct data. Many of the laboratories I have had the pleasure of working with over the years are genuinely dedicated to the production of valid results, but they also need to minimize costs in order to remain competitive. The good news is that laboratories can generate valid scientific results without breaking the bank.

In each of my future articles, I will focus on one aspect of valid data generation, such as calibration and internal standards, explore it in practical detail and go over how that aspect can be applied to common cannabis analyses. The techniques I will be writing about are applied in many other industries, both regulated and non-regulated, so regardless of where the regulations in your state end up, you can already have a head start on the analytical portion of compliance. That means you have more time to focus on the inevitable paperwork portion of regulatory compliance – lucky you! Stay tuned for my next column on instrument calibration, which is the foundation for producing quality data. I think it will be the start of a really good series and I am looking forward to writing it.

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.