Clinical Mass Spectrometry (CMS) Laboratory
The Clinical Mass Spectrometry (CMS) facility in the Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine provides a wide range of assays for endogenous compounds and metabolites, natural and medicinal products, novel drugs under development, therapeutic drug monitoring, detection of drugs of abuse (including opioids), comprehensive lipidomics / metabolomics analyses, and diagnoses of genetic disorders in metabolism. Mass spectrometry is a highly-specific and sensitive technique for the determination of the chemical structure and quantification of compounds based on ionizing and breaking down the molecule into specific fragments. The CMS Facility uses a variety of instrumentation including FAB-MS, GC-MS and LC-MS/MS applications for screening and qualitative and quantitative analyses. Most assays are validated to meet regulatory requirements. The facility operates under GLP standards and is CAP / CLIA accredited.
Services
CMS clinical services support physicians at Cincinnati Children's and beyond by providing:
- An international screening program for diagnosis of bile acid synthesis disorders and monitoring response to therapy
- Trough levels for therapeutic drugs including Sirolimus, Everolimus, Topiramate, Amitriptyline, and Nortriptyline
- Concentrations of hormones, including thyroid hormone (free-T4) and Testosterone
- Same-day confirmation of the presence of 46 drugs of abuse and their metabolites, including classes of amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, buprenorphine, phencyclidine, cannabinoids, muscle relaxants, cocaine, nicotine, methadone and natural and synthetic opioids
- Diagnostic testing for genetic disorders of metabolism including organic acids and acyl carnitines
CMS research programs support Primary Investigators from within and outside Cincinnati Children's by:
- Collaboration, offering over 100 years of collective mass spectrometry expertise
- Development of novel methodologies and assay validation
- Global and targeted metabolomics and lipidomics platforms
Lab Hours and Turnaround times
The laboratory is staffed Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 5 pm.
Limited testing is available on Saturday and Sunday. Please refer to individual test information sheets for testing schedule.
For urgent requests, contact the lab at 513-636-4203 for further information on analytical testing.
Collection Requirements
Please refer to individual test information sheets for collection requirements.
