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  • Mohsin Naqvi admonishes lack of coordination among interior ministry’s institutions – Pakistan

    Mohsin Naqvi admonishes lack of coordination among interior ministry’s institutions – Pakistan

    Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has directed all departments under the Ministry of Interior to improve coordination for better service delivery and performance.

    Chairing a high-level meeting in Islamabad, the minister said there is a serious lack of coordination among the ministry’s subordinate institutions, which must be addressed on an emergency basis.

    He asked all departments to submit proposals within three days suggesting changes to rules and other necessary recommendations.

    A comprehensive plan is to be finalised and presented by the federal secretary of the interior.

    Interior Minister Naqvi inaugurates 24/7 passport office in Karachi

    Naqvi emphasised the need for teamwork and stronger cooperation between departments. “We need to fully benefit from each other’s strengths to improve institutional performance,” he said.

    The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, senior ministry officials, and heads of various departments including the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), NADRA, Islamabad Police, Passport and Immigration, Cyber Crime Investigation, and others.

    The minister said that better coordination will ultimately benefit the public and ensure more efficient service delivery.

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  • Miracle Molecule Stops Stroke Damage – And Could Tackle Alzheimer’s Next – SciTechDaily

    1. Miracle Molecule Stops Stroke Damage – And Could Tackle Alzheimer’s Next  SciTechDaily
    2. Osaka researchers develop drug to prevent stroke-induced neuronal death  News-Medical
    3. Six-hour ‘undo’ button: GAI-17 rewinds stroke damage and may beat Alzheimer’s  ScienceDaily
    4. New drug could prevent damage from killer medical emergency that affects 795,000 Americans every year  UNILAD
    5. New drug sparks fresh hope for stroke patients by doubling intervention window  MSN

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  • Apple sues YouTuber who had planted ‘spy’ at Apple employee’s house for iOS 26 leaks: Here’s what happened

    Apple sues YouTuber who had planted ‘spy’ at Apple employee’s house for iOS 26 leaks: Here’s what happened

    TL;DR

    • Apple has filed a federal lawsuit against YouTuber Jon Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti, accusing them of orchestrating a scheme to steal iOS 26 trade secrets from a development iPhone.
    • The lawsuit claims Ramacciotti broke into his friend Ethan Lipnik’s Apple-issued development phone while staying at his home, then showed the unreleased software to Prosser via FaceTime.
    • Prosser allegedly recorded the call and used the footage to create “reconstructed” renderings for his YouTube channel, generating ad revenue from Apple’s confidential information.
    • Apple terminated Lipnik’s employment for failing to secure the development device and is seeking injunctive relief and damages.
    • Prosser disputes Apple’s version of events, claiming he was “unaware of the situation playing out” and denies plotting to access anyone’s phone.

    Who is Jon Prosser?

    Jon Prosser is a prominent tech leaker who runs the Front Page Tech YouTube channel, known for revealing unreleased Apple products and features. He gained significant attention in early 2025 for his detailed leaks of what was then called iOS 19 (now iOS 26).

    Prosser’s iOS 26 leaks included:

    Camera app redesign (January 2025): Prosser showed off a simplified Camera app with streamlined buttons for switching between photo and video modes. Messages app overhaul (March 2025): He revealed the Messages app with round navigation buttons at the top and rounded corners around the keyboard. Liquid Glass interface (April 2025): His most comprehensive leak showed the glass-like interface elements, pill-shaped tab bars, and rounder design elements that ultimately debuted in iOS 26.While some details differed from Apple’s final release, the leaks were directionally accurate and gave competitors advance knowledge of Apple’s software designs.

    Why Did Apple sue Jon Prosser?

    Apple’s lawsuit, filed July 17, 2025, in the Northern District of California, alleges a coordinated scheme involving multiple defendants. The company’s investigation began after receiving an anonymous tip on April 4, 2025, identifying Apple employee Ethan Lipnik as the potential source.

    1. The alleged breach

    According to Apple’s complaint, Ramacciotti used location tracking to monitor when Lipnik would be away from his Santa Clara apartment, obtained his passcode, and accessed his development iPhone. The device contained unreleased iOS 19 software and “significant amounts of additional Apple trade secret information that has not yet been publicly disclosed.”

    2. The FaceTime recording

    During the unauthorized access, Ramacciotti allegedly made a FaceTime call to Prosser, demonstrating the unreleased operating system. Prosser reportedly recorded the screen using capture tools, obtaining videos of Apple’s confidential software designs and features.

    3. Monetization and distribution

    Apple claims Prosser shared the recordings with others and used them to create content for his YouTube channel, generating ad revenue from Apple’s trade secrets. The company says at least one person recognized Lipnik’s apartment in the background of Prosser’s videos.

    What Apple Is seeking

    Apple is requesting a jury trial and seeking multiple forms of relief:

    • Injunctive relief to prevent further disclosure of confidential information
    • Punitive and compensatory damages for trade secret misappropriation
    • An order requiring defendants to return or destroy any confidential Apple information
    • Recovery of legal fees and costs
    • Pre- and post-judgment interest

    The lawsuit includes claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

    Why it matters

    The case highlights the ongoing battle between tech companies protecting trade secrets and the leak culture surrounding unreleased products. Apple’s aggressive legal action sends a clear message about the lengths it will go to protect confidential information.Precedent for Tech Leaks: This lawsuit could set new standards for prosecuting tech leakers, potentially chilling the leak ecosystem that surrounds major product launches. Employee Accountability: Lipnik’s termination demonstrates the career consequences for Apple employees who fail to protect development devices, even when they’re not directly involved in leaks. Competitive Harm: Apple argues the leaks gave competitors advance knowledge of its software designs, potentially undermining years of secretive development work.

    FAQ

    Q. Did Jon Prosser actually break into the iPhone himself?

    No. Apple alleges that Ramacciotti physically accessed the device, while Prosser received the information via FaceTime and recorded it for later use.

    Q. What was Prosser’s response to the lawsuit?

    Prosser disputes Apple’s claims, stating on X: “I did not ‘plot’ to access anyone’s phone. I did not have any passwords. I was unaware of how the information was obtained. Looking forward to speaking with Apple on this.”

    Q. What happened to the Apple employee whose phone was accessed?

    Ethan Lipnik was terminated by Apple for failing to follow company policies designed to protect development hardware and unreleased software.

    Q. Is this the first time Apple has sued a leaker?

    While Apple frequently pursues legal action against suppliers and manufacturers who leak information, suing individual content creators and leakers directly is less common but not unprecedented.

    Q. Could there be more leaks from the same source?

    Yes. Apple warns that the development iPhone contained additional unreleased features that have not yet been publicly disclosed, posing ongoing competitive risks if the defendants retained access to that information.


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  • Photo Gallery: TNA iMPACT! July 17, 2025 – TNA Wrestling

    1. Photo Gallery: TNA iMPACT! July 17, 2025  TNA Wrestling
    2. TNA iMPACT! results: AJ Styles vignette airs, Slammiversary headliners meet in tag action  POST Wrestling
    3. TNA iMPACT! Results: July 17, 2025  TNA Wrestling
    4. The Final TNA IMPACT! Episode Before SLAMMIVERSARY Features Trick Williams In Action  theringreport.com
    5. 7/17 TNA iMPACT Results  Wrestling Attitude

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  • British and Irish Lions: Pete Samu ineligible to play for First Nations and Pasifika XV

    British and Irish Lions: Pete Samu ineligible to play for First Nations and Pasifika XV

    Samu recently moved to the New South Wales Waratahs, after finishing the Top 14 season with Bordeaux.

    “We are pleased with the First Nations and Pasifika XV’s preparation for their inaugural match against the Lions at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday,” the Rugby Australia spokesperson said.

    “Pete Samu is a valued member of the Waratahs and has added greatly to the First Nations and Pasifika squad since entering camp.”

    Meanwhile, Kefu told the Sydney Morning Herald he was bewildered by the Lions stance.

    “I still can’t believe that they would do it, complain about it. I suppose it is what it is, but it’s extra motivation for our boys,” said Kefu, who played 60 times for Australia.

    “We’re a team that’s just been put together, we’re facing a massive challenge as it is, so he [Samu] would have definitely strengthened us, there’s no doubt about that.

    “They must have been worried we were going to win. I don’t know why they would do it.”

    The Lions insist Samu has not been blocked, but is simply not eligible for the match.

    “I think it’s more the rules and regulations of what was agreed before the tour,” assistant coach Johnny Sexton said on Friday.

    To add to the confusion, Samu was allowed to play for the Australia and New Zealand Invitational XV last weekend, a match the Lions won 48-0.

    Over the weekend the Lions will fly in the Scottish pair Ewan Ashman and Rory Sutherland to play against the First Nations and Pasifika XV in order to ensure none of the Test team have to play twice in five days.

    Scotland winger Darcy Graham has also been added to the squad, as has Leinster prop Thomas Clarkson, England hooker Jamie George and Leinster back Jamie Osborne, with the Lions squad swelling from 38 players to 44.

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  • Home rehab program improves lung function in bronchiectasis

    Home rehab program improves lung function in bronchiectasis

    A simple at-home program with daily exercise, airway clearance, and nurse support helps patients breathe easier, offering new hope for millions living with this chronic lung disease.

    Study: Role of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation programs for disease progression and quality of life in patients with stable bronchiectasis: a single-center RCT. Image credit: Migma__Agency/Shutterstock.com

    A single-center randomized controlled trial investigating the protective efficacy of the home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program in patients with stable bronchiectasis reported improved clinical outcomes and quality of life. The trial findings are published in Frontiers in Medicine.

    Background

    Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by irreversible widening and damage of the airways, airway inflammation, and recurrent infections. Because it is chronic and relapsing, patients with bronchiectasis often require long-term home management. However, a considerable proportion of patients lack effective home monitoring, leading to chronic airway inflammation, progressive structural damage, and a poor quality of life.

    Home-based Pulmonary Rehabilitation (HBPR) is a personalized intervention delivered at home for patients with chronic lung diseases. This low-cost, easy-to-implement intervention includes breathing training, regular walking or light-intensity aerobic exercises, and airway clearance processes.

    In this randomized controlled trial, researchers investigated the efficacy of HBPR in improving clinical outcomes and quality of life in patients with stable bronchiectasis. 

    Trial design

    The trial enrolled 80 patients who were discharged from the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, China. In China, the estimated prevalence of bronchiectasis is 1.2% in individuals aged 40 years or above.

    The patients were randomly assigned to the intervention group and the control group. The intervention group patients received the pre-designed HBPR program for bronchiectasis, which included an average of five weekly exercise sessions, with a median training duration of 45 minutes.

    The program also included daily aerobic exercise (30 to 60 minutes), twice-daily inspiratory muscle training, and using Threshold IMT devices at 30% to 50% of maximal inspiratory pressure, individualized airway clearance techniques such as postural drainage and Active Cycle of Breathing Techniques, phased intensity progression, weekly remote or in-person nurse guidance, nutrition management and health education via e-health platforms, all monitored through electronic logs. The intervention was delivered by specially trained nursing staff. The control group patients received standard respiratory care.

    The control group patients received a structured form of respiratory care, including educational manuals, weekly WeChat-based rehabilitation videos, scheduled follow-up assessments, and access to a respiratory chronic disease nursing clinic, but without individualized supervision, inspiratory muscle training, or progressive programming of HBPR.

    The effect of intervention on the patient’s quality of life, lung function indicators, and the frequency of acute exacerbations was assessed over a 12-month period.

    Key findings

    The trial findings revealed a significant beneficial effect of the 12-month HBPR program on patients’ overall quality of life, including physical and emotional functioning, social functioning, treatment burden, health perceptions, and respiratory symptoms. These benefits became statistically significant starting at 3 months after intervention and strengthened at 6 and 12 months, with no significant differences at baseline or 1 month.

    Significant improvements in lung function indicators, including forced expiratory volume, forced vital capacity, and peak expiratory flow, were observed during the follow-up period in patients receiving HBPR. At 12 months, mean FEV1 increased to 2.56 L in the HBPR group compared to 2.20 L in controls, while peak expiratory flow rose to 4.68 L/s versus 3.54 L/s, respectively (P <0.001). The benefits were more pronounced after 6 and 12 months of intervention.

    A significant beneficial impact of HBPR was observed on chronic cough symptoms, the most common symptoms in bronchiectasis patients. These symptoms are significantly associated with increased disease burden and severity and increased frequency of acute exacerbations. Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) scores reached 18.3 in the HBPR group versus 13.4 in the control group at 12 months (P <0.001).

    The frequency of acute exacerbations, which is substantially associated with disease worsening, showed a significant improvement following HBPR. This highlights the clinical significance of implementing HBPR.

    Significance of findings

    The trial findings highlight the efficacy of expert-supervised HBPR in improving respiration functions, frequency of acute exacerbations, and quality of life in hospital-discharged patients with stable bronchiectasis.

    The HBPR program explored in the trial includes a phased training design, personalized intensity adjustment, and multimodal supervision-feedback mechanisms, which form a closed-loop intervention model. These features separate HBPR from standard respiratory care, which is mainly passive and lacks individualized supervision or progressive programming.

    Exercise training in HBPR can help increase muscle oxidative capacity and endurance, improving patients’ physical functioning. Airway clearance processes can help reduce mucus retention, improve airway potency, prevent recurrent infections, alleviate dyspnea, coughing, and fatigue. These are possible mechanisms by which HBPR helps improve patients’ overall quality of life with stable bronchiectasis.

    Respiratory muscle training and aerobic exercise included in HBPR synergistically help increase the strength and endurance of the respiratory muscles and reduce airway resistance. Airway clearance processes help reduce airway inflammation and improve pulmonary function by reducing the accumulation of mucus. HBPR also includes nutrition management education, providing adequate nutritional support to patients. All these features collectively contribute to the observed improvements in respiratory functions.

    Mucus clearance and prevention of recurrent infections through airway clearance processes are the major factors associated with the observed reduction in the frequency of acute exacerbations. Furthermore, health education in HBPR improves patients’ ability to identify acute exacerbations and respond promptly.

    The trial was conducted on a limited number of patients, which may restrict the generalizability of its findings. Future multicenter trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to validate these findings and capture the long-term sustainability and prognostic impact of the intervention.

    All 80 patients completed the full 12-month follow-up period without dropouts, improving data integrity. The authors emphasize this as a preliminary exploratory trial designed to inform larger, multicenter studies. The trial did not stratify patients according to their disease severity and record disease etiology. These factors may influence the observed clinical outcomes associated with HBPR.

    Overall, the trial highlights the significance of HBPR in improving patients’ adherence to the intervention through remote guidance and family support and reducing their dependency on medical institutions. Furthermore, HBPR as an e-health platform can effectively monitor patients’ rehabilitation progress in real time and optimize the intervention strategies as needed.

    Download your PDF copy now!

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  • Navigating the AI Risk Frontier: Liability, Copyright & Regulation : Clyde & Co

    Navigating the AI Risk Frontier: Liability, Copyright & Regulation : Clyde & Co

    Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) presents tremendous opportunities for organizations and professionals to digest, process and compute large amounts of information.

    However, AI tools are imperfect and their unchecked and undisclosed use creates risks of professional liability and copyright infringement. What’s more, the use of AI in cyber-attacks may lead to greater frequency and severity of claims, and risk of exposure of private information. As a result, AI regulation is at the forefront of many jurisdictions, each of which will need to grapple with how best to control its use and growth.

    Professional Liability

    Professionals face exposure to liability when using AI tools particularly when they are not allowed to do so or when they have not addressed the use and risks of these tools with their clients and others who may be adversely affected by AI-generated errors.

    Legal professionals who appear before the courts and are therefore subject to regular external oversight and published warnings and sanctions in judgments are perhaps the most visible example of this exposure to professional liability. Despite warnings in recent years from various regulators of legal professionals about the use of AI in producing legal work, legal professionals around the world have been caught bringing before the courts legal authorities or arguments hallucinated by generative AI, generally in the form of non-existent authorities or quotations or significant and obvious mischaracterizations of existing authorities. There are already several dozen reported decisions around the world in which legal professionals have faced warnings and/or been sanctioned in such contexts, from being referred to disciplinary bodies, to having to compensate other parties or lawyers, to being fined [1]

    In the above cases, the quantum of damages is often limited because the use of the AI-generated error is caught early and has limited negative consequences on others. However, there are situations in which the exposure could be far greater, e.g. if the AI-generated errors are not caught before a professional’s work or advice is used in large-scale projects or widely disseminated or perhaps relied upon by a Court in a published decision.

    The examples of the decisions involving legal professionals suggest that education is required amongst professionals of all types about the unchecked and undisclosed use of AI.

    Copyright Infringement:

    We are also now seeing claims arising from the unauthorized use of copyrighted material to train AI platforms.

    For example, in February 2025, Thomson Reuters (owner of the legal research platform Westlaw) sued Ross Intelligence, a new competitor, for copyright infringement alleging that, after Thomson Reuters denied Ross’s request to license its content, Ross trained its AI using LegalEase Bulk Memos which were built from Westlaw’s headnotes.

    In granting Thomson Reuters summary judgment, the United States District Court, District of Delaware, found that Ross infringed on 2,243 of Westlaw’s headnotes. The district court further found that Ross’s defenses of innocent infringement, copyright misuse, merger, scenes à faire, and fair use all failed. In May 2025, the district court stayed the case and certified an interlocutory appeal to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to answer the questions of: (1) whether the Westlaw headnotes and Key Number System are original as a matter of law, and (2) whether Ross’s alleged use of the Westlaw headnotes was fair use.

    More recently, on June 4, 2025, Reddit, Inc. sued Anthropic, PBC in California Superior Court for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, trespass to chattels, tortious interference, and unfair competition because Anthropic allegedly used, without authorization, Reddit’s content to train its AI technology.

    As companies increasingly release their own AI technology, and use content to train that AI technology, insurers are likely to see an increase in claims related to the use of copyrighted material to train AI technology.

    Cyber Attacks: Frequency and Severity

    The recent proliferation in use of AI in cyber-attacks, including by deep fake technology, voice clones, and phishing attacks, raises concerns about increased frequency and severity of claims  

    For instance, Threat Actors utilize Generative AI models to create phishing emails which appear more convincing than those written without the use of AI. Threat Actors can often mimic the tone and language of a target organization to trick victims into social engineering attacks, which continue to be the most common method of cyber-attack. Typically, victims can prevent such attacks by being alert to poor grammar or an awkward turn of phrase in correspondence. However, with the use of AI, Threat Actors have an opportunity to clean up messages before sending them through. What’s more, AI can automate the process of creating and sending phishing emails, allowing Threat Actors to launch large-scale campaigns with minimal effort.

    Deep fake technology has also created opportunities for large scale attacks. In Hong Kong, a deep fake of a company’s Chief Financial Officer was used to convince a finance worker at a multinational firm into sending USD 25 million to a Threat Actor.  The scheme involved the worker attending a video call with whom he believed to be the CFO and other staff, but all of whom were, in fact, deep fake clones.

    AI is not infallible. In the deep fake example, for instance, there are certain “tells” when the technology is being used (for instance, there may be mismatches between speech and mouth movement). However, as AI technology improves, organizations will need to be alert to the nefarious use of such programs.

    Regulation

    The European Union’s A.I. Act (“A.I. Act”) is considered the world’s first comprehensive legal framework on AI, aiming to regulate the development, deployment, and use of AI systems in the EU.  Specifically, the A.I. Act uses a risk-based classification system for AI systems, with different levels of compliance requirements depending on the potential harm they pose which are categorized as: (1) unacceptable risk; (2) high risk; (3) limited risk and (4) low risk. Another one of the main objectives of the A.I. Act is to address the challenges of combating algorithmic bias and ensuring robust protection against discrimination in high-risk AI systems—such as those used in hiring, credit scoring, or healthcare.   In contrast, there currently is no comprehensive federal legislation or regulations in the United States that regulate the development of AI or specifically prohibit or restrict its use. Many states though, including California, Colorado and Maryland, have introduced or enacted AI-related legislation concerning areas like algorithmic discrimination, deepfakes, and transparency requirements.   But it is crucial to note that the regulatory landscape in the U.S. is constantly evolving, with ongoing developments and new guidance emerging including those set forth in President Trump’s proposed H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 


    [1] AI Hallucination Cases Database – Damien Charlotin 

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  • Thinning Japan Stock Trades Show Jitters Before High-Stakes Vote – Bloomberg.com

    1. Thinning Japan Stock Trades Show Jitters Before High-Stakes Vote  Bloomberg.com
    2. Japan’s Nikkei ends lower  Business Recorder
    3. Morning Bid: Stocks buoyant but Japan vote brings risk  Reuters
    4. Japanese stock indices close lower ahead of upper House elections  وكالة الانباء اليمنية سبأ
    5. Japan’s Stock Market Faces Political And Economic Headwinds  Finimize

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  • Advancing lipid identification in human plasma samples

    Advancing lipid identification in human plasma samples

    In this article, data-dependent acquisition (DDA) experimental data collected by the ZenoTOF 8600 system was analyzed with MS-DIAL 5.5 software to detect and classify lipid molecular species in human plasma samples. These findings were compared to identical studies carried out on the ZenoTOF 7600 system.

    Untargeted lipidomics processes, such as DDA, aim to identify as many lipids in a sample as feasible. The lipidome’s coverage reflects the method design and analytical power of the mass spectrometer used to collect data.

    The most important factor influencing coverage is instrument sensitivity, which allows for identifying low-level analytes.

    Collision-induced dissociation (CID) is the standard fragmentation mode for lipidomics investigations; however, electron-activated dissociation (EAD) can yield additional diagnostic fragments to help identify lipids.

    The data demonstrates that the ZenoTOF 8600 system is around ten times more sensitive than a previous-generation high-resolution mass spectrometer, the ZenoTOF 7600 system.

    Using the ZenoTOF 8600 system, CID-based DDA lipidomics experiments (positive ion mode) using reversed-phase chromatography (RP) produced around 1.8-fold more identified lipids. In contrast, EAD-based DDA experiments produced a 2.4-fold increase (Figure 1).

    The increased coverage may uncover new analytes relevant to biological studies and help us understand the probable pathophysiology of human disease through biomarker analysis.

    Figure 1. A comparative study to evaluate the identification of lipids using untargeted lipidomics analysis. Lipid extracts were prepared from NIST SRM 1950 human plasma, and a 0.5 µl plasma equivalent was analyzed on the ZenoTOF 7600 or 8600 system using CID-based fragmentation. A reversed-phase chromatographic strategy was used to resolve lipids, and they were analyzed in the positive ionization mode. Data were processed using MS-DIAL 5.5 software to identify reference-matched lipids. Data acquired on the ZenoTOF 8600 system enabled the identification of ~1.8-fold more lipids than the ZenoTOF 7600 system with CID-based fragmentation and ~2.4-fold more with EAD-based fragmentation. Image Credit: SCIEX

    Key features of lipidomics analysis using the ZenoTOF 8600 system

    • The ZenoTOF 8600 system is 10 times more sensitive than the ZenoTOF 7600, resulting in higher signal-to-noise ratio in TOF-MS XIC peaks.
    • The ZenoTOF 8600 system detected approximately 1.8 times more lipids in CID-based DDA tests than the ZenoTOF 7600 system. EAD-based DDA trials demonstrated a 2.4-fold increase in lipid identification.
    • EAD analysis improved lipid characterization by identifying crucial structurally diagnostic pieces.

    Introduction

    The analysis of lipids in biological samples is complicated due to the sheer amount of lipid molecular species (estimated to be over 150,000), substantial isobaric overlap across lipids, and a lack of adequate primary and internal reference standards.

    The structural specificity provided by the analytical method used to analyze lipids complicates their identification and quantification.

    For example, the lipid PE 36:1 is defined by its total composition (lipid class, total number of carbons, and double bonds); however, when examined at the fatty acid level of specificity, this seemingly single lipid molecular species can be conservatively expanded to 5 lipids, as shown in Figure 2.

    A closer look at the structure shows that lipid PE 36:1 can represent 56 different lipid molecular species when considering fatty acids, fatty acid locations, double bond orientations, and stereochemical configurations.

    There is currently a lot of interest in targeted lipid analysis. This method eliminates the requirement for interpretive software, and the results are quantitative at the MS2 level.1 However, untargeted analytical procedures remain an essential aspect of lipid analysis, with the potential to identify novel lipid molecular species.

    The effectiveness of an untargeted lipidomics experiment is determined by various parameters, including chromatographic separation, primary reference standards, the level of structural specificity required, and equipment sensitivity.

    This last point directly impacts the quality of the product ion spectra generated during DDA analysis. Typically, the higher the spectrum quality (i.e., the breadth and intensity of fragments), the more likely a match can be found utilizing lipid spectral databases.

    Untargeted lipidomics analysis is widely performed using a variety of mass spectrometric methods. The original procedure, “shotgun lipidomics,” is a semi-targeted experiment that identifies lipids at the total composition level by grouping lipids that go through CID to produce lipid class-diagnostic fragment ions or neutral losses.

    DDA methods can identify fatty acids but only quantify precursor ions; this is now the most prevalent methodology. Finally, data-independent acquisition (DIA) can give both qualitative identification and quantitative measurements at the MS2 level.

    SWATH DIA’s current form cannot resolve precursor ions to < 1 Da, perhaps leading to a larger false positive rate than DDA experiments. DDA experiments were performed to assess the performance of a new high-resolution mass spectrometer, the ZenoTOF 8600 system.

    The ZenoTOF 8600 device offers unique design features that are ideal for untargeted lipidomics investigation. First, the instrument offers a complementary fragmentation mode, EAD, that provides unprecedented structural characterization of lipids.2-6

    Using this fragmentation method, lipids can be detected at the fatty acid, positional isomer, and double bond positions (Figure 2).

    EAD can also be used to evaluate the stereochemical configuration of fatty acid double bonds.5 Second, enhanced hardware, such as the front end with the Optiflow Pro source and a sophisticated optical detector, offers great sensitivity.

    Third, the instrument’s front end has a DJet+ with Mass Guard, which has been shown to reduce instrument contamination on the SCIEX 7500+ system,7 which is critical for lipid analysis.

     

    Figure 2. Molecular speciation of lipids based on the level of structural analysis. The sum composition of a lipid, which is the data output from “shotgun lipidomics” and most untargeted lipidomics experiments, describes lipids in terms of lipid class and the molecular weight, from which the total number of carbons and double bonds among the fatty acids can be deduced. DDA and targeted lipid analysis can analyze lipids at the fatty acid level, but alternative fragmentation modes or alternative methodologies are needed to identify lipids at greater levels of specificity. Here, only “typical” mammalian fatty acids were considered. Image Credit: SCIEX

    The investigations examined human plasma (NIST SRM 1950) lipid extracts utilizing DDA with CID- or EAD-based fragmentation in the positive ion mode. Lipids were resolved using RP chromatographic separation methods, and the data was analyzed using MS-DIAL 5.5.

    The purpose was to compare the lipid coverage of the ZenoTOF 8600 and 7600 systems in human plasma, compare data quality, and measure the improvement in sensitivity for lipid analysis.

    Materials & methods 

    Sample preparation:

    Millipore Sigma (Burlington, MA) provided human plasma (NIST SRM 1950), from which lipids were isolated using the Bligh and Dyer technique.8 Extracts were dried under a nitrogen stream and then resuspended in methanol for RP separation.

    The ultimate extract concentration was 1 µl plasma/10 µl injection solvent. Samples were placed in HPLC vials and examined using mass spectrometry. All tests involved analyzing 5 µl of plasma extract (0.5 µl plasma equivalent).

    Chromatography:

    Chromatographic separation was carried out utilizing an Exion AD system (SCIEX), which included a binary ultrahigh-pressure gradient pump with degasser, a temperature-controlled autosampler, and a column oven. The separation was done using a Phenomenex Luna C18 column (2.1 µm, 150 x 2 mm) at 55 °C.

    Mobile phase A was water/acetonitrile/isopropanol (50/30/20, v/v) with 10 mM ammonium acetate, while mobile phase B was isopropanol/acetonitrile/water (90/9/1, v/v) with 10 mM ammonium acetate. The flow rate was 0.4 mL/min, and the gradient profile is displayed in Table 1.

    Samples were stored in the autosampler at 10 °C with a 5 µL injection volume. It should be noted that HILIC chromatography was tested using this DDA method (not shown). The results obtained with RP chromatography provided improved coverage. As a result, the findings presented here are solely based on RP separation.

    Table 1. Reverse phase chromatography gradient conditions. Source: SCIEX

    Reverse phase chromatography gradient conditions

    Mass spectrometry:

    Lipid detection was carried out using two instruments: a ZenoTOF 7600 system and a ZenoTOF 8600 system, both of which have an Optiflow Turbo V ion source and an electrospray ionization (ESI) probe.

    The automatic calibrant delivery system (CDS) maintained instrument calibration by calibrating every five samples with an ESI calibration solution tailored to positive or negative ionization modes. DDA and tests employed CID-based fragmentation in the positive ion mode.

    The devices were set up for CID-based DDA tests to isolate the top 50 most abundant ions for fragmentation. For EAD studies, DDA selection criteria were used to identify the top 25 ions for fragmentation.

    Dynamic background subtraction (DBS) with a mass tolerance of 50 mDa was used in both tests to reduce noise and improve MS/MS quality. The TOF MS accumulation time was set to 100 ms. Table 2 displays the TOF MS and TOF MS/MS values for CID and EAD.

    The parameter settings were identical for both instruments. A complete overview of the ZenoTOF 7600 system instrument settings and their application to metabolomics and lipidomics DDA studies has already been published.9

    Table 2. Instrument parameter settings. Source: SCIEX

    Instrument parameter settings

    Data processing:

    MS-DIAL 5.5 software was used to handle all DDA data.10 A recent SCIEX technical note describes the optimal parameter values for MS-DIAL.11

    Lipid coverage is calculated from data obtained by each instrument and reported as reference-matched identifications. However, the actual number of spectra acquired far exceeds this.

    The results also include the number of lipids with a match score greater than 1.8. (For a more extensive explanation of match scores, see reference 8.) Qualitative data was represented using SCIEX OS software’s Explorer module.

    Results and discussion

    Quantitative performance of the ZenoTOF 8600 system

    The ZenoTOF 8600 system features an optical detector capable of processing more ion current than the ZenoTOF 7600 system. This ability, combined with enhanced front-end ion optics, increases the instrument’s sensitivity.

    To assess the impact of increased sensitivity on untargeted lipid analysis, two aspects of the data were considered: the increase in TOFMS peak intensities (measured using XIC peak areas with an extraction window of ± 0.010 Da) and the extent of lipid molecular species identified using MS-DIAL 5.5 software.

    Figure 3 shows the combined TICs (TOFMS in blue and dependent product ion scans in pink) for the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems (top and bottom, respectively).

    A casual review of each instrument’s TICs reveals an approximately 10-fold increase in ion intensity for the ZenoTOF 8600 system, indicating greater sensitivity.

    This development significantly increased the number of characteristics captured by the ZenoTOF 8600 system over the ZenoTOF 7600 system (25,816 vs. 12,482).

    Untargeted (DDA) analysis of lipids in human plasma on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems using CID-based fragmentation. The top panel shows a combined TIC for TOFMS (blue) and dependent product ion scans (pink) acquired on the ZenoTOF 7600 system. The lower panel shows the same for data acquired on the ZenoTOF 8600 system. The number and intensities of the triggered product ion scans are significantly higher using the ZenoTOF 8600 system (25,816 dependent scans vs. 12,482 on the ZenoTOF 7600 system in a direct comparison of a sample injected onto both instruments). The 2-fold increase in the number of dependent scans resulted in a greater number of identified lipids

    Figure 3. Untargeted (DDA) analysis of lipids in human plasma on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems using CID-based fragmentation. The top panel shows a combined TIC for TOFMS (blue) and dependent product ion scans (pink) acquired on the ZenoTOF 7600 system. The lower panel shows the same for data acquired on the ZenoTOF 8600 system. The number and intensities of the triggered product ion scans are significantly higher using the ZenoTOF 8600 system (25,816 dependent scans vs. 12,482 on the ZenoTOF 7600 system in a direct comparison of a sample injected onto both instruments). The 2-fold increase in the number of dependent scans resulted in a greater number of identified lipids. Image Credit: SCIEX

    The 10-fold increase in peak intensity on the ZenoTOF 8600 system does not imply that the device is 10-fold more sensitive. Sensitivity enhancements should be represented as an increase in the signal-to-noise ratio.

    Because DDA experiments are not quantitative at the TOF MS/MS level, sensitivity was determined by comparing TOF MS XIC peak intensities to the concordant S/N of lipid analytes measured on each instrument.

    Figure 4 shows the TOF MS XIC and TOF MS/MS spectra for five selected analytes. The left panel displays results from CID-based data collected on the ZenoTOF 7600 instrument, whereas the right panel displays the same data type for the ZenoTOF 8600 system.

    Each product ion spectrum contains key diagnostic fragment ions, which were used to authenticate each lipid’s identity in terms of total composition.

    Because of the considerable isobaric overlap between distinct lipid classes during RP separation, the MS/MS spectra may seem convolved as several precursor ions are co-isolated during product ion analysis. This is one of numerous reasons why DDA experiments do not yield quantitative results at the MS/MS level.

    Adopting a narrow XIC window allows for more accurate precursor isolation at the TOFMS level of analysis. Figure 4 shows that data recorded with the ZenoTOF 8600 system yields peak intensities that are approximately tenfold higher.

    Table 3 evaluates these and other compounds, including S/N calculations for each peak. The S/N was obtained using SCIEX OS software’s Explorer data analysis module, representing the average value for each analyte throughout n=5 injections.

    The noise zone from each TOF MS XIC used to calculate the S/N was chosen based on the following criteria: the “blank” chromatographic region had to be longer than one minute, within three minutes of the specified peak elution time, and free of any extraneous isobaric peaks.

    The ZenoTOF 8600 system increased the S/N of TOF MS XIC peaks by an average of 12.9-fold (range = 5.5- to 20.2-fold). This improvement is reflected in an average 10.4-fold increase in peak intensities (range: 5.0- to 19.1-fold).

    Together, these results show that the ZenoTOF 8600 system improves sensitivity while increasing the number of dependent scans triggered during DDA analysis.

    Comparison of DDA data acquired on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems. Five compounds were selected across different lipid classes to show the XIC intensities and the associated TOF MS/MS spectra. Indicated by red arrows, diagnostic fragment ions for each lipid are shown in each product ion spectrum. Because these data were acquired in the positive ion mode, polar lipids were only identified at the sum-composition level; TAG 52:3 can be speciated at the fatty acid level in this ionization mode. Overall, TOFMS XIC peak intensities for every compound were increased significantly (~10-fold) using the ZenoTOF 8600 system

    Figure 4. Comparison of DDA data acquired on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems. Five compounds were selected across different lipid classes to show the XIC intensities and the associated TOF MS/MS spectra. Indicated by red arrows, diagnostic fragment ions for each lipid are shown in each product ion spectrum. Because these data were acquired in the positive ion mode, polar lipids were only identified at the sum-composition level; TAG 52:3 can be speciated at the fatty acid level in this ionization mode. Overall, TOFMS XIC peak intensities for every compound were increased significantly (~10-fold) using the ZenoTOF 8600 system. Image Credit: SCIEX

    Table 3. XIC TOF MS peak areas and s/n calculations for various lipids identified from CID-based DDA analysis on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems. Source: SCIEX

    XIC TOFMS peak areas and s/n calculations for various lipids identified from CID-based DDA analysis on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems

    Identification of lipids using MS-DIAL 5.3 software

    The ZenoTOF 8600 system’s higher sensitivity and expanded number of features should result in better lipidome coverage from untargeted lipidomics research.

    In general, increased sensitivity allows for the detection of less conspicuous fragment ions, which improves the quality of the product ion spectra and leads to a more accurate and reliable lipid identification.

    DDA tests were carried out on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems to explore this notion and compare the number of detected lipid molecular species in human plasma extracts.

    Earlier, a top-50 technique was claimed to be the optimum selection criterion for DDA metabolomics analysis.9

    To guarantee the highest possible coverage for lipidomics, top-40, top-50, and top-60 DDA selection criteria approaches were applied (not shown). The top-50 DDA method proved to be the best for untargeted lipid analysis on both platforms.

    The MS-DIAL user interface shows a comprehensive view of the processed DDA data (Figure 5). The upper left-hand screen, the peak spot navigator, displays the number of reference-matched lipids discovered during data processing. This is the total number of distinct lipids detected during the batch procedure.

    The top panel of Figure 5 displays the results from the ZenoTOF 7600 system, while the bottom panel displays the results from data collected on the ZenoTOF 8600 system. The latter instrument’s increased sensitivity led to a 182% increase (~1.8-fold) in the human plasma lipidome coverage in these tests (875 vs. 481 reference-matched IDs).

    These discovered lipids have match scores ranging from 2.6 to 0.6. Based on these and other experiments, a minimum match score of 1.8 provides the highest confidence in the results.11

    Figure 1 shows that the reference-matched lipids with scores greater than 1.8 were 221 and 455 for the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems, respectively.

    Using the ZenoTOF 8600 system to examine 0.5 µl of human plasma in DDA tests using CID-based fragmentation in the positive ion mode resulted in a 205% (~2-fold) increase in detected lipids.

    MS-DIAL 5.2 software results user interface: comparative lipid identification. CID-based DDA experiments were performed on the ZenoTOF 7600 (A) and 8600 (B) systems, and the data were processed using MS-DIAL 5.2 software. In these examples, the data from 9 DDA experiments (RP chromatography; positive ion mode; 3 x top-40, 3 x top-50 and 3 x top-60) were processed together to provide a composite view of the lipids identified by the two instruments (see Table 5). The ZenoTOF 7600 data identified 481 reference-matched lipids, whereas the ZenoTOF 8600 identified 875, an 182% increase in coverage (highlighted in red). For each identified lipid, the molecular details are given (upper right-hand panels) along with the spectral matching results (lower right-hand panel)

    Figure 5. MS-DIAL 5.2 software results user interface: comparative lipid identification. CID-based DDA experiments were performed on the ZenoTOF 7600 (A) and 8600 (B) systems, and the data were processed using MS-DIAL 5.2 software. In these examples, the data from 9 DDA experiments (RP chromatography; positive ion mode; 3 x top-40, 3 x top-50 and 3 x top-60) were processed together to provide a composite view of the lipids identified by the two instruments (see Table 5). The ZenoTOF 7600 data identified 481 reference-matched lipids, whereas the ZenoTOF 8600 identified 875, an 182% increase in coverage (highlighted in red). For each identified lipid, the molecular details are given (upper right-hand panels) along with the spectral matching results (lower right-hand panel). Image Credit: SCIEX

    Characterization of lipids using EAD-based fragmentation 

    The data provided by CID-based lipid analysis offers only modest structural information about lipids. The positive ion mode’s results are confined to the sum composition, as seen in Table 4.

    This is because the loss of the phospholipid head group is the most advantageous fragmentation event during CID; the fatty acids are lost as neutral species, and the complementing lyso-lipid fragments are usually in short supply.

    The negative ion mode allows for the identification of lipids at the fatty acid level (Figure 2); nevertheless, class distinction is not attainable in this ionization mode, and class specificity depends on chromatography or other forms of separation.

    EAD-based fragmentation is carried out in the positive ion mode and offers information about the lipid class and fatty acids, enabling a near-complete structural characterisation of lipids.5

    The ZenoTOF 8600 system’s enhanced sensitivity was used to examine lipids in a DDA scan mode with EAD-based fragmentation. Compared to CID, EAD is somewhat inefficient in terms of fragmentation, depleting 30-40% of the precursor ion in a typical lipidomics experiment with an electron kinetic energy of 15 eV.

    Incomplete fragmentation of the precursor ion has the specific advantage of producing most of the primary fragments.

    The Zeno trap’s low fragmentation efficiency and the enhanced sensitivity of the ZenoTOF 8600 system are critical instrument features for generating high-quality EAD-based product ion spectra for lipid research.

    Table 4. XIC TOF  MS peak areas and s/n calculations for various lipids identified from EAD-based DDA analysis on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems. Source: SCIEX

    XIC TOFMS peak areas and s/n calculations for various lipids identified from EAD-based DDA analysis on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems

    Figure 6 shows example TICs from EAD-based DDA trials. The top two chromatograms show the survey scan (TOF MS in blue) and the dependent scan (pink) from data collected on the ZenoTOF 7600 instrument.

    The TICs were split in this figure due to significant scale discrepancies, which is not the case with CID-based data (Figure 3). The ZenoTOF 8600 system was used to collect EAD-based DDA data, which is shown below.

    The elution patterns at the TOF MS and TOF MS/MS levels appear comparable, but the intensities of the peaks between the two instruments are considerably different, with the ZenoTOF 8600 system displaying ~10 times larger intensities.

    To compare the quantitative differences between the two instruments that use EAD-based fragmentation, peak areas and S/N values were assessed for a typical number of substances (Table 4).

    As with the CID-based fragmentation data, the ZenoTOF 8600 system is more sensitive at the MS1 level, as demonstrated by comparing the S/N of analyte peaks generated by the two instruments.

    Data collected using the ZenoTOF 8600 system showed an average increase in peak area of 23.8-fold (range = 2.3-54.9) and an average increase in S/N of 6-fold (range = 1.8-9.7). This is significant, but slightly smaller than the almost 10-fold rise in CID-based data.

    This could be connected to the types of compounds used for comparison. The three types of substances with the smallest increases in S/N were acylcarnitines (CAR), diacylglycerols (DAG), and monoacylglycerols (MAG).

    TAGs and phospholipids were the two types of compounds that showed comparable large increases in S/N. Because both types of fragmentation-based DDA studies have a TOFMS survey scan independent of the fragmentation event, this data indicates that there may be some compound reliance on sensitivity between the two instruments.

    The EAD-based DDA data was processed using MS-DIAL 5.5 software, which had the same parameter settings as the CID-based data. One major exception was the usage of a specific EIEIO library within silico-generated EAD spectra for ~9000 lipids.

    Because most, if not all, CID-based fragments are generated using EAD, the standard CID-based lipid database was also employed for data analysis.

    When plasma extract was analyzed with the ZenoTOF 8600 system vs the ZenoTOF 7600 system, the detected lipids rose by 240% (816 vs. 339), as shown in Figure 1.

    Both instruments acquired around 3.5K product ion spectra, indicating that these were top-25 trials rather than top-50 for CID-based DDA analysis. This suggests that increased lipid identification is likely owing to higher-quality product ion spectra, which leads to better database matching.

    Spectral matching is an essential part of compound identification. In lipidomics, a false positive rate to assess data processing quality is neither defined nor widely utilized. Rather, confidence in identification is determined by the similarity of spectra (i.e., reference vs. measured) and quantified with a dot product score.

    This mathematical function returns a value ranging from 0 to 1, with 1 representing the highest amount of resemblance. When evaluating mass spectrometry data, this function compares the number and intensity of fragment ions. MS-DIAL software employs a “match score” value to qualify a discovered compound.12

    This score is calculated by combining the dot product score, reverse dot product score, RT similarity, and precursor mass similarity.

    Although not expressly stated in the literature, in this research and others, a match score value of more than 1.8 is considered a strong match.11 Manual verification may be required for compounds with values less than 1.8.

    Figure 1 shows the number of lipids discovered with a match score >1.8 on each instrument using the various fragmentation types.

    The ZenoTOF 8600 system produced more reference-matched IDs and identified lipids with higher match scores, which may represent the superior quality of the product ion spectra produced by this instrument.

    The match scores were much lower for each instrument’s EAD-based fragmentation data. This can be due to the lower fragment intensities in EAD-generated spectra, but it could also be because the EIEIO library was developed in silico, and the number of fragments and intensities do not always match those of a spectrum recorded using authentic standards.

    This mismatch should be reflected in the Dot Product score, resulting in a lower score. For example, using the ZenoTOF 8600 system, a glycerophospholipid identified in the CID-based experiment as PE P-34:2 had a dot product score of 944.

    Using the same instrument and EAD-based fragmentation, the molecule was identified as PE (p-16:0_18:2), with an estimated dot product score of 598. Manual inspection reveals the diagnostic peaks in the measured spectrum, but their intensities are low in comparison to the reference spectrum (not depicted).

    Comparison of TICs from DDA experiments using EAD-based fragmentation on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems

    Figure 6. Comparison of TICs from DDA experiments using EAD-based fragmentation on the ZenoTOF 7600 and 8600 systems. Image Credit: SCIEX

    EAD-based fragmentation results in a product ion spectrum enriched with structurally diagnostic fragment ions (3-6, 11). Figure 7 shows a qualitative study of an example lipid molecular species.

    The MS-DIAL user interface display for PC (18:0_20:1) is presented on the left side of the figure. It includes molecular details and an inverted display of the deconvoluted data vs. reference spectrum.

    MS-DIAL recognized the two fatty acids in this sample but did not assign a regiospecific configuration. The molecule’s product ion spectrum is shown on the right side of the picture, which was created using the Explorer module in the SCIEX OS program.

    The diagnostic ions, highlighted in red, can be used to further structurally describe the PC molecule. Notably, the fragment at m/z 522.3572 is the consequence of the unique neutral loss of a 20:1 fatty aldehyde from the sn-2 carbon of the glycerol backbone, allowing for unequivocal identification at the positional isomer level as PC (18:0/20:1).5

    Figure 7 illustrates the unique neutral losses and fragment ions associated with regiospecific fatty acids. Example of improved lipid structure characterization using EAD-based fragmentation.

    The left side of the figure shows the MS-DIAL UI readout for PC (18:0_20:1), which includes molecular details and an inverted display of the deconvoluted data vs. the database spectrum. The right side of the figure shows the Explorer module of SCIEX OS software, which produces an enhanced product ion spectrum.

    The diagnostic ions that can help structurally describe the PC molecule are highlighted in red.

    Notably, the fragment at m/z 522.3572 is the consequence of the neutral loss of a 20:1 fatty aldehyde from the sn-2 carbon of the glycerol backbone,5 allowing the positional isomer to be identified as PC (18:0/20:1).

    Complex lipids during EAD-based fragmentation have been found and can be employed for improved structural characterization.5

    To summarize, the ZenoTOF 8600 system is suited for non-targeted lipidomics study. The system’s ability to perform 100 MS/MS operations per second and its ~10-fold higher sensitivity (compared to the ZenoTOF 7600 system in terms of S/N at the MS1 level) allows for accurate identification and coverage of lipids in human plasma.

    MSDIAL 5.5 software provides a seamless approach for data processing and can evaluate EAD-based fragmentation data from DDA experiments to routinely identify lipids at the fatty acid level as well as the regio-specific and double bond position levels (Figure 2).11

    Example of improved lipid structural characterization with EAD-based fragmentation. The left side of the figure shows the MS-DIAL UI readout for PC (18:0_20:1), including molecular details and an inverted display of the deconvoluted data vs. the database spectrum. On the right side of the figure is an enhanced product ion spectrum from the Explorer module in SCIEX OS software. The diagnostic ions that can be used to structurally characterize the PC molecule are highlighted in red. Of note, the fragment at m/z 522.3572 results from the specific neutral loss of a 20:1 fatty aldehyde from the sn-2 carbon of the glycerol backbone (5), enabling the identification at the positional isomer level as PC (18:0/20:1)

    Figure 7. Example of improved lipid structural characterization with EAD-based fragmentation. The left side of the figure shows the MS-DIAL UI readout for PC (18:0_20:1), including molecular details and an inverted display of the deconvoluted data vs. the database spectrum. On the right side of the figure is an enhanced product ion spectrum from the Explorer module in SCIEX OS software. The diagnostic ions that can be used to structurally characterize the PC molecule are highlighted in red. Of note, the fragment at m/z 522.3572 results from the specific neutral loss of a 20:1 fatty aldehyde from the sn-2 carbon of the glycerol backbone (5), enabling the identification at the positional isomer level as PC (18:0/20:1). Image Credit: SCIEX

    Conclusions

    • The ZenoTOF 8600 system outperforms the ZenoTOF 7600 system in terms of TOF MS XIC peak intensities and signal-to-noise ratio.
    • The ZenoTOF 8600 system gathered approximately twice as many features (~25 vs. ~12 k) under the same experimental conditions.
    • The ZenoTOF 8600 system outperformed the ZenoTOF 7600 system in CID-based DDA lipidomics research in the positive ion mode, resulting in approximately 1.8-fold more reference-matched spectra.
    • MS-DIAL 5.5 software can process WIFF2 files generated by CID-based fragmentation experiments on SCIEX instruments.
    • MS-DIAL 5.5 software can process EAD-based fragmentation data using an in silico-generated EIEIO spectrum database.
    • The ZenoTOF 8600 system recognized 240% more IDs than the ZenoTOF 7600 system, providing extra structurally diagnostic pieces for lipid identification with excellent specificity.

    References

    1. Zhang, Z., et al. (2023). Development of a targeted hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based lipidomics platform applied to a coronavirus disease severity study. Journal of Chromatography A, 1708, pp.464342–464342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2023.464342.
    2. SCIEX (2024). Quantitative analysis and structural characterization of bile acids using the ZenoTOF 7600 system. (online) Available at: https://sciex.com/tech-notes/life-science-research/metabolomics/quantitative-analysis-and-structural-characterization-of-bile-ac (Accessed 12 Jul. 2025).
    3. Baba, T., et al. (2016). In-depth sphingomyelin characterization using electron impact excitation of ions from organics and mass spectrometry. 57(5), pp.858–867. https://doi.org/10.1194/jlr.m067199.
    4. Baba, T., et al. (2016). Structural identification of triacylglycerol isomers using electron impact excitation of ions from organics (EIEIO). Journal of Lipid Research, 57(11), pp.2015–2027. https://doi.org/10.1194/jlr.m070177.
    5. Baba, T., et al. (2018). Quantitative structural multiclass lipidomics using differential mobility: electron impact excitation of ions from organics (EIEIO) mass spectrometry. Journal of Lipid Research, 59(5), pp.910–919. https://doi.org/10.1194/jlr.d083261.
    6. Baba, T., et al. (2017). Distinguishing Cis and Trans Isomers in Intact Complex Lipids Using Electron Impact Excitation of Ions from Organics Mass Spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry, 89(14), pp.7307–7315. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.6b04734.
    7. SCIEX. (2024). Redefine bioanalysis with enhanced robustness on the SCIEX 7500+ system. (online) Available at: https://sciex.com/tech-notes/pharma/bioanalysis-pk/redefine-bioanalysis-with-enhanced-robustness-on-the-sciex-7500-plus-system (Accessed 12 Jul. 2025).
    8. Bligh, E.G. and Dyer, W.J. (1959). A RAPID METHOD OF TOTAL LIPID EXTRACTION AND PURIFICATION. Canadian Journal of Biochemistry and Physiology, 37(8), pp.911–917. https://doi.org/10.1139/o59-099.
    9. SCIEX. (2022). Untargeted data-dependent acquisition (DDA) metabolomics analysis using the ZenoTOF 7600 system. (online) Available at: https://sciex.com/tech-notes/life-science-research/metabolomics/untargeted-data-dependent-acquisition–dda–metabolomics-analysi (Accessed 12 Jul. 2025).
    10. Takeda, H., et al. (2024). MS-DIAL 5 multimodal mass spectrometry data mining unveils lipidome complexities. Nature Communications, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54137-w.
    11. SCIEX. (2025). The simultaneous processing of DDA and SWATH data by MS-DIAL software improves coverage for untargeted lipidomics analysis. (online) Available at: https://sciex.com/tech-notes/life-science-research/lipidomics/The-simultaneous-processing-of-DDA-and-SWATH-data-by-MS-DIAL-software-improves-coverage-for-untargeted-lipidomics-analysis (Accessed 12 Jul. 2025).
    12. Tsugawa, H., et al. (2015). MS-DIAL: data-independent MS/MS deconvolution for comprehensive metabolome analysis. Nature Methods, (online) 12(6), pp.523–526. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.3393.

    About SCIEX

    SCIEX mission is to deliver solutions for the precision detection and quantitation of molecules, empowering their customers to protect and advance the wellness and safety of all.

    SCIEX has led the field of mass spectrometry for 50 years. From the moment we launched the first ever commercially successful triple quad in 1981, they have developed groundbreaking technologies and solutions that influence life-changing research and outcomes.

    Today, as part of the Danaher family of global life science and technology innovators, they continue to pioneer robust solutions in mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis. But they don’t just develop products. It is what they do together with their customers that sets them apart. That’s why thousands of life science experts around the world choose SCIEX to get the answers they can trust to better inform critical decisions. Decisions that positively impact lives.

    They proudly stand behind our tagline: The Power of Precision. 


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  • On the Origin of Life: Synthesizing Cell Metabolism

    On the Origin of Life: Synthesizing Cell Metabolism

    In the past, researchers have focused on compartmentalization, but not on metabolism. Yet this cycle of building up and breaking down molecules is a critical aspect of how living cells respond to environmental stimuli, replicate and evolve.

    Now researchers from the University of California San Diego have designed a system that synthesizes cell membranes and incorporates metabolic activity. Their work appears in Nature Chemistry and is featured on the cover of the June 2025 issue.

    “Cells that lack a metabolic network are stuck — they aren’t able to remodel, grow or divide,” stated Neal Devaraj, the Murray Goodman Endowed Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego and principal investigator on the paper. “Life today is highly evolved, but we want to understand if metabolism can occur in very simple chemical systems, before the evolution of more complex biology occurred.”

    Lipids are fatty compounds that play a crucial role in many cell functions. In living cells, lipid membranes serve as barriers, separating cells from the external environment. Lipid membranes are dynamic, capable of remodeling themselves in response to cellular demands.

    As a crucial step in understanding how living cells evolved, Devaraj’s lab designed a system where lipids can not only form membranes, but through metabolism, can also break them down. The system they created was abiotic, meaning only nonliving matter was used. This is important in helping understand how life emerged on prebiotic Earth, when only nonliving matter existed.

    “We are trying to answer the fundamental question: what are the minimal systems that have the properties of life?” said Alessandro Fracassi, a postdoctoral scholar in Devaraj’s lab and first author on the paper.

    The chemical cycle they created uses a chemical fuel to activate fatty acids. The fatty acids then couple with lysophospholipids, which generate phospholipids. These phospholipids spontaneously form membranes, but in the absence of fuel, they break down and return to the fatty acid and lysophospholipid components. The cycle begins anew.

    Now that they’ve shown they can create an artificial cell membrane, they want to continue adding layers of complexity until they have created something that has many more of the properties we associate with “life.”

    “We know a lot about living cells and what they’re made of,” stated Fracassi. “But if you laid out all the separate components, we don’t actually understand how to put them together to make the cell function as it does. We’re trying to recreate a primitive yet functional cell, one layer at a time.”

    In addition to shedding light on how life may have begun in an abiotic environment, the development of artificial cells can have a real-world impact. Drug delivery, biomanufacturing, environmental remediation, biomimetic sensors are all possibilities over the coming decades as we continue to deepen our understanding of how life on Earth came to be.

    “We may not see these kinds of advancements for 10 or 20 years,” Devaraj noted. “But we have to do the work today, because we still have so much to learn.”

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