Massachusetts General Hospital | Cancer Center

Overview

The core has the ability to implement and validate previously developed analytical methods to quantify drugs and their metabolites in biological fluids as well as the capability to modify or develop entirely new assays when warranted. The core also offers comprehensive analysis of pharmacokinetic data as an additional service, including the estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters and identifying their relationship to pathophysiological variables and pharmacodynamic effects.

Facilities & Equipment

Core Locations
Massachusetts General Hospital
32 Fruit Street
Jackson Building, 10th Floor
Boston, MA 02125

Services

Services offered by the Core include the following:

• Experimental design and protocol development
• Preparation of dosing and sample collection case report forms and sample labels
• Establishing and implementing appropriate procedures for sample handling, processing, and storage prior to analysis
• Sample storage and tracking
• Study oversight
• The development, validation, and application of analytical methods to measure drugs and their metabolites in biological fluids
• Metabolite identification
• PK data analysis and interpretation
• Correlation analyses to assess the influence of pathophysiologic variables on PK parameters and associations between PK parameters and biological effects such as toxicity, biological correlates, and therapeutic response
• Assistance in the preparation of manuscripts and presentations

Fee Schedule

It is not feasible to develop a predetermined cost schedule for the services offered by the Core because of the highly specialized and varied nature of bioanalytical methods. The integrated collection of procedures that comprise an analytical method, which include sample storage, preliminary sample preparation, chromatographic analysis, and detection depend upon the unique physicochemical characteristics of the particular drug of interest, the sample matrix, and nature of the application. Costs for the analysis of samples depend upon whether the particular assay has already been established within the facility, whether suitable assays for a drug have been described in the literature, or whether an entirely new assay will need to be developed. The complexity of the sample preparation and detection methods used in an assay also significantly impact costs. Costs for assay development are largely dependent upon the physicochemical properties of the compound, as well as its potency, which generally dictates the sensitivity required to adequately detect systemic levels of drug afforded by tolerated doses.

Accordingly, the costs for bioanalytical services must be developed individually for each project.

Getting Started

Contact

Jefferey G. Supko, PhD
Core Director
JSupko@Partners.org
Tel# 617-724-1970