Newsletter: Q1 2011
Welcome to the first edition of our company newsletter! We thought this would be an ideal way to keep in touch and provide brief updates on what's new at MicroConstants. Click here to subscribe.
Message From Our President
Gilbert Lam, Ph.D.
President and Chief Scientific Officer
2010 was a difficult year for the CRO industry as a whole, but we managed to stay quite busy here at MicroConstants. Last year we celebrated our 12 year anniversary, welcomed 29 new clients, developed 155 analytical methods, and shipped our 6,000th specimen collection kit. We also began offering nanoparticle formulation development services, presented several scientific posters at industry conferences, and launched a brand new website.
2011 is shaping up to be a great year and we have already started seeing signs of industry improvement. This year, we will continue to elevate the quality of the contract research services we provide by strengthening our skills, increasing quality matrices, and obtaining new equipment to enhance efficiencies. MicroConstants remains committed to providing our pharmaceutical and biotech partners with the highest quality data and exceptional client services. This will continue to be our focus throughout this year and beyond.
Company News
Completed Installation of New LC/MS/MS System
MicroConstants recently completed the installation and qualification of a new Xevo TQ-S tandem mass spectrometer from Waters Corporation. The unparalleled speed, sensitivity, and accuracy of this latest LC/MS/MS system will allow us to quantify compounds at lower concentrations than previously possible and enable the development of more robust bioanalytical methods for even the most analytically complex compounds.
This addition brings MicroConstants equipment count to a total of 16 LC/MS/MS systems at our San Diego laboratory.
Read the press release for more details.
Client Surveys Reveal 100% Client Satisfaction
Periodically we conduct customer surveys to ensure we're consistently meeting our clients’ expectations. Approximately 1/3 of our clients responded to our latest survey that was completed over the past few months (Nov. 2010 - Jan. 2011). Below are some of the highlights:
- 100% of respondents said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of work produced by MicroConstants.
- 100% said they would or already have recommended MicroConstants to a peer or industry colleague. Reasons for doing so included excellent communication, high quality data and results, and satisfaction with deliverables.
- 100% said they were either confident or very confident in the quality of the data and results provided by MicroConstants.
We are extremely pleased with these results and will continue to do everything we can to meet our customers’ needs and exceed their expectations.
MicroConstants in Next Generation Pharmaceutical Magazine
David Beyerlein, VP of Global Operations at MicroConstants, was recently interviewed by Next Generation Pharmaceutical magazine for an article on Trends in Outsourcing Analytical Support in Pharmaceutical Development.
Read the interview and find out where we think the industry is headed.
Service Spotlight
Impurity Characterization
During the drug development process, unknowns often arise from impurities and degradation products that can be formed during the manufacturing process and/or storage of the new drug. Current United States FDA regulatory guidance requires that studies be conducted to identify the impurities present in a new drug substance and to characterize their structure.
MicroConstants characterizes and potentially identifies impurities and degradation products present in your API to support drug discovery programs. This information can be used to help with non-GLP animal studies and to guide CMC analysis of API used in GLP studies.
Read more about our impurity characterization services.
Employee Spotlight
Mike Ly, Associate Scientist
Mike, a scientist in our DMPK department, celebrated his 12 year anniversary with MicroConstants in January. He joined MicroConstants in 1999 after graduating from McGill University in Montreal, Canada with a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry.
Mike began his career at MicroConstants as a Lab Technician, but has since moved up to become an Associate Scientist responsible for method development and sample analysis for preclinical drug discovery projects. He routinely performs in vitro assays to determine inhibition profiles, metabolic stability, metabolite profiles, and protein-binding characteristics for novel pharmaceutical entities, among other things.
Mike is fluent in both Vietnamese and French, and when he's not busy in the lab he enjoys traveling, music, contemplating home renovation projects, a good meal, and a good laugh - although he's not opposed to having a good laugh in the lab as well.
