Blue Stream Laboratories has enhanced its Mass Spectrometry (MS) capabilities with the addition of two new personnel and instrumentation. Elaine Stephens, Ph.D., has been appointed to head Blue Stream’s Cambridge, MA-based MS lab, which provides analytical expertise from pre-IND through cGMP clinical phase product development.
 
Dr. Stephens has more than 15 years of experience as head of Mass Spectrometry. She has in-depth expertise in protein characterization using mass spectrometry, with extensive knowledge in glycoprotein structure elucidation. Before joining the company, she spent many years as head of Mass Spectrometry at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the Chemistry Department at Cambridge University. Additionally, she has authored and co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications.
 
Jing Li, Ph.D. joined Blue Stream as a scientist for mass spectrometry characterization. Dr. Li gained extensive experience in mass spectrometry and glycomics at MIT, where she helped to develop glycan-based vaccines and therapeutics.  
 
Additionally, the company’s MS facility recently added two new mass spectrometer systems, the Agilent 6538 QTOF, which significantly improves the lab’s data quality and sample throughput, and the Thermo TSQ Vantage Triple Stage Quadrupole, which provides capabilities for quantitative analysis of biosimilars, peptides, and other biologics.
 
Michael Kouchakdjian, Ph.D., president of Blue Stream Laboratories, said, “Our clients tell us that they come to Blue Stream for our unmatched expertise and speed in characterizing their complex biologics. Our methods and personnel allow us to provide high quality data coupled with in-depth interpretation, enabling clients to make better-informed decisions more quickly and with greater confidence as they advance their development programs.”