Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) has purchased 51 Thermo Scientific LXQ linear ion trap mass spectrometers and 27 Thermo Scientific Nicolet 6700 FT-IR spectrometers with Continuum microscopes.
The NPA will use the LXQ LC/MS/MS system for toxicology screening in each of its 47 prefecture offices and will use the Nicolet 6700 FT-IR system for forensics in nearly half of those offices.
Prior to purchasing the LXQ system, the NPA used single quadruple LCMS for analysing drugs and toxic substances.
The LXQ's ion trap technology provides high sensitivity and specificity, which enables it to analyse hundreds of analytes in blood and urine samples.
The NPA said that one of the reasons it chose the LXQ was the time and labour it saved with the total solution offered by Thermo Fisher Scientific, including the company's ToxID software.
The software performs automatic data analysis and reporting, eliminating the need for manual data interpretation and increasing confidence in compound identification.
The NPA saw a similar opportunity to improve both the quality of its forensic analysis, as well as to optimise cost per analysis and lab productivity with the Nicolet 6700 FT-IR spectrometer and Continuum microscope.
This system combines visual microscopic analysis with infrared chemical information, ensuring sensitive, accurate interpretation, while preserving the sample.
For instance, one reason the NPA cited for purchasing the Nicolet 6700 FT-IR was its ability to analyse paint chips, a key piece of identification evidence in a hit-and-run crime.
Normally, identifying auto paint requires dissolution and chemical extraction, but FT-IR microscopy provides quick chemical identification of each paint layer without degrading the sample.
