Automated Sample Transportation and Handling for Determination of Trace Metals in Cell Growth Media Using ICP-MS

The demand for automated systems is high in biological element-oriented measurements. In contrast to highly automated bioscreening systems, analytical measurements are often not completely automated due to the high complexity of the sample preparation and measurement processes. Cell culture media for cell nutrition and growing strongly differ in their composition depending on the cells to be cultivated. Metals are important components of cell culture media in a wide concentration range, and they can significantly influence the cell growing in both directions—supporting or inhibiting. Sources of metal introduction and variation in the media are the raw material preparation as well as leaching of metals from vessels, containers, and tools. Therefore, the determination and monitoring of trace metals in source materials for cell growth media is of great importance. Measurements using ICP-MS provide a high sensitivity, low detection limits, and an effective reduction of interfering signals. In this study, an automated sample transportation and handling system was integrated with a measurement system using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine heavy metals in cell growth media. The automated measurement system was validated by the determination of the repeatability, recovery rate, within-laboratory precision, measurement precision as well as the analytical and methodological limits of detection and quantification (LOD and LOQ). The robotic system was tested with blank samples and the results showed only a low contamination risk caused by the metal construction parts. The automated system can be safely used even in trace metal determination. Concentrations of trace metals of commercial cell culture media from various vendors were determined.