Novel Method Enables Simultaneous 96-Well Extraction of Urine Samples for LC-MS/MS Analysis

A new application note describes a high-throughput semi-automated method for rapid processing of urine samples for LC-MS/MS molecular detection and identification, including for drugs-of-abuse analysis.

Using the VIAFLO 96 electronic pipette from INTEGRA Biosciences AG (Zizers, Switzerland & Hudson, NH, USA) with mixed-mode tips from DPX Labs LLC (Columbia, SC, USA), samples from a full 96-well plate can be extracted and ready for LC-MS/MS analysis in less than 10 minutes, eliminating the need for a time-consuming evaporation step.


Sample preparation is required to remove matrix interferences from urine samples prior to LC-MS/MS analysis. This procedure is typically very time-consuming and is generally the “bottleneck.” DPX extraction is a highly reproducible and sensitive dispersive SPE method that requires much less solvent compared to other SPE techniques.

INTEGRA and DPX have prepared an application note that describes use of the method to process urine samples for drugs-of-abuse analysis by LC-MS/MS. It describes how the INTEGRA VIAFLO 96 electronic pipette was used to simultaneously undertake, in wells of a 96-well plate, the various steps of the DPX protocol (analyte binding, resin washing, analyte elution). Results from this semi-automated method are shown to be linear, accurate, and reproducible. All correlation coefficients for the protocol were greater than 0.99 for the range of 12.5–400 ng/mL.

INTEGRA VIAFLO 96 is a handheld 96-channel electronic pipette that enables precise, and easy simultaneous transfer of 96 samples from microplates without the cost of a fully automated system. The pipette requires no special skills or training to operate it. Fast replication or reformatting of 96-well plates and high-precision transferring of reagents, compounds, and solutions to or from microplates with the VIAFLO 96 is as easy as pipetting with a standard electronic pipette into a single tube. Four heads with pipetting volumes up to 12.5, 125, 300, or 1,250 µL are available. These pipetting heads are interchangeable within seconds, enabling optimal matching of the available volume range to the application performed.

Related Links:
INTEGRA Biosciences
DPX Labs
Application note