ASCENT has been a huge time-saving tool for us. The best part is that we don’t waste time reviewing analytically sound data. Instead, we can focus more on the troublesome samples and peaks.

Andrew Clark

Director of Toxicology
CAL Laboratory Services

Better Science.
Beyond Vision.

The heart of ASCENT is its peak processor: if the peaks are correct, the rest of the quantification is straightforward. ASCENT takes a highly sophisticated approach to peak processing, a way of working with the data that reflects what is really going on in the system, versus just what can be seen in a chromatogram plot. This is the power of software automation.

Consistent, reproducible results across all users.

If you think about most of the data review operations that are done on chromatographic analytical data (and as well, most of the time required), they boil down to one key issue: real-world chromatography is highly complex, and oftentimes, conventional data systems simply cannot find the appropriate peak. This means that ultimately, you become a peak inspector, trying to visually sift through highly convoluted signals in a tedious, time-consuming process. It’s challenging for everyone in your laboratory to be consistently and reproducibly good at it, all of the time – which is essential, especially when working with clinical and toxicology samples.

Reduce the burden of manual review and achieve more accurate processing.

DDI, or Dynamic Data Interogation, is a data point processing approach which recognizes that each individual data point is a statistical measurement. DDI evaluates the signal to noise ratio for each of those data points, optimizing the application of smoothing in a manner which is statistically appropriate for each individual measurement. This ensures that the peak detection and integration processes which follow are performed on a foundation of solid statistical data.

OptiFit, ASCENT’s peak detection and integration system, utilizes an exponentially modified Gaussian, or EMG, modeling approach. Such an approach is essential to addressing the realities of chromatographic analysis. Rarely is it the case that one, and only one, compound is eluting in the window for your target analyte. Much more common, especially in high-throughput applications, is the situation where the peak trace which is visible in the data system is actually a convoluted set of multiple, co-eluting compounds plus chemical matrix. OptiFit uses a mathematical modeling approach that essentially deconvolutes the complex mixture and presents the peak processing results for just the singular compound of interest.

Together, DDI and OptiFit work beyond the limits of human and data system visualization, to present the true compound signal, in a way that dramatically reduces the technical and regulatory burden of manual review and integration. OptiFit, and the EMG modeling approach, has been tested and scientifically proven to be a more accurate and consistent manner of peak processing. It removes problematic variation that can exist between reviewers, standardizing peak processing and optimizing performance.

Learn how ASCENT can transform your laboratory.