Inter-laboratory evaluation of instrument platforms and experimental workflows for quantitative accuracy and reproducibility assessment

• Reproducibility of MRM with SIS peptides for plasma protein quantitation was studied.
• This was an international study featuring 16 laboratories and 19 LC–MS/MS platforms.
• The 3 evaluated kits were designed for platform and/or workflow evaluation.
• For qualified peptides, instrument type did not affect the quality of the results.
• Technician skill was a factor, as well as sub-optimal LC–MS performance.
• This study emphasized the importance of proper training and routine quality control.

The reproducibility of plasma protein quantitation between laboratories and between instrument types was examined in a large-scale international study involving 16 laboratories and 19 LC–MS/MS platforms, using two kits designed to evaluate instrument performance and one kit designed to evaluate the entire bottom-up workflow. There was little effect of instrument type on the quality of the results, demonstrating the robustness of LC/MRM-MS with isotopically labeled standards. Technician skill was a factor, as errors in sample preparation and sub-optimal LC–MS performance were evident. This highlights the importance of proper training and routine quality control before quantitation is done on patient samples.

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