Trace-metal and isotope testing laboratory

Built for trace-metal and isotope testing

ALS custom-built laboratory in Sweden is specialized in trace-metals, isotope and element speciation analysis. Our staff has more than 30 years of experience working with ICP instrumentation. As one of the first commercial laboratories in the world, we invested in our first ICP-MS in the year of 1996. Today, our instrumental park consists of:

• 15 high-resolution ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry)
• 3 ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectroscopy)
• 3 AFS (atomic fluorescence spectroscopy)
• 2 MC-ICP-MS

All analyses are carried out in clean room facilities with controlled airflow and temperature. Combined with our large instrumental park, this allows us to perform high-quality analyses at ultra low concentrations while ensuring a solid backup capacity. Our long experience of working with ICP instrumentation makes ALS a reliable partner with the required knowledge for method development, validation as well as routine testing. No sample matrix is too challenging; ALS can handle toxic and potent samples and are equipped to be able to dissolve almost any sample matrix. Our modern, ultra-sensitive instrumentation and clean room facility enables us to provide reporting limits (LOR) far below the typical ICP laboratory.

For testing of metal impurities at low concentrations, ALS uses high-resolution ICP-MS (ICP-SFMS).

Quality

The ALS laboratory in Luleå, Sweden, complies with relevant, international regulatory standards to perform analyses for the pharmaceutical industry, clinical and non-clinical samples and much more. We have validated and accredited methods for nearly 70 elements in numerous sample matrices. Through robust contamination control and method development we are set to perform analytical testing of wide concentration ranges, from ppt- to percent levels.

The laboratory complies with international quality standards including:

• EN-ISO 17025
• GLP statement of compliance
• GCLP
• GMP
• FDA certificate of registration
• ISO 14001

As a result of more than 25 years of experience analyzing pharmaceuticals and as part of both clinical and non-clinical studies, the laboratory has developed and validated more than 350 analytical methods for our clients. Our offer includes:

• Method development and validation
• Method transfer and cross-validation services
• Testing of stability and storage under monitored conditions

We actively participates in interlaboratory comparisons related to both metal analysis of various sample matrices as well as isotope measurements.

Research at ALS

Staff at ALS conducted research related to metal testing, isotope ratios, metal speciation and analysis of clinical samples for decades. Research is typically conducted in close cooperation with numerous external institutions, particularly the department of Applied Geology at Luleå University of Technology. To date, our research has resulted in about 200 publications with thousands of citations. Publication lists including authors, journals, year and page references may be available on request.

Our research has placed us in the forefront of trace-metal and isotope analysis and we are determined to hold this position into the future.