Institute for Advanced Learning and Research

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Tour of IALR – Applied Research

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Tour of IALR – Applied Research

Tour of IALR – Applied Research

Join us for a free guided group tour of the research facilities and labs on the campus of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR). Discover our impact and explore our cutting-edge research and facilities. Our Applied Research Division conducts innovative research into biotechnology and indoor agriculture and provides reliable analytical chemistry and polymer testing services. We conduct industry-driven research that benefits companies and moves industries forward.

This one-hour tour will include a brief overview of IALR before a deep dive into the focus areas of our Applied Research division. Participants will see:

The Virginia Tech-IALR Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Innovation Center, which partners with industry and academia to conduct research and educational programming to develop and advance the CEA industry.

  • SMART Tables, advanced robotic imaging platforms that record and track growth and development throughout the life cycle of a set of plants.
  • The Plant Endophyte Research Center, which studies how beneficial plant bacteria show promise as natural biostimulants—reducing chemical fertilizer use and preserving the environment.
  • The Analytical Chemistry Lab, which utilizes some of the most sophisticated commercially available equipment to support companies from various industries regionally and globally with testing and methodology development services.
  • The Advanced Materials Lab, which is equipped with polymer testing and characterization capabilities and can be utilized by manufacturers and universities.

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ISO-Certified Analytical Chemistry Lab Supports Diverse Clients

ISO-Certified Analytical Chemistry Lab Supports Diverse Clients

Local growers who need to verify the percentage of cannabinoids in a batch of industrial hemp.

Government agencies that need to examine the makeup of groundwater or identify if any heavy metals are present in a soil sample.

Startup companies that need to quantify the efficacy of products under development or obtain a certificate of analysis for batches of products on the way to market.

Multi-billion-dollar corporations from around the world that need an extremely specialized, customized set of product verification and quality control tests.

These are some of the primary client groups that use the reliable, unique and affordable testing services and capabilities offered by the Analytical Chemistry Lab at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR). Utilizing some of the most sophisticated and effective commercially available chemistry testing equipment, the IALR Chemistry Lab supports various industries regionally and globally with methodology development and chemical testing services.

Contact Us about Analytical Chemistry Services

“The IALR Analytical Chemistry Lab provides testing services that give clients the data that they need to move forward. What sets our lab apart is that we provide those services at a high level and a low cost.” – Dr. Scott Lowman, Vice President of Applied Research, IALR

Defining Analytical Chemistry Testing Services

At its core, analytical chemistry involves determining the exact chemical composition of a material. This means both identifying every chemical present and quantifying the volume of each.

To complete that level of analysis, the first – and generally more involved – step is to break down a material to its base components or chemicals. This step involves chromatography, which is the process of separating the chemicals.

Once all the base components are separated, chemical detection can commence. Staff in the Analytical Chemistry Lab utilize a mass spectrometer to identify every chemical. One of the most effective mass spectrometers available, the Waters® Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (TQXS MS) can recognize components in the parts per billion, allowing for identification and analysis of trace amounts of any chemical.

The types of testing services that the IALR Analytical Chemistry Lab provides can be divided in two distinct ways:

Individual Testing vs. Ongoing Product Testing

Some clients need a one-time test run on a particular sample. For example, a government agency might need to examine heavy metals in a soil sample. Or a company may want to reverse engineer a product to determine its chemical composition.

On the other hand, many companies provide products for regular quality control testing. The chemistry team would provide a certificate of analysis that validates product claims, making it more valuable to the consumer.

Chemical Analysis vs. Methodology Development

Every client of the Analytical Chemistry Lab utilizes its chemical analysis capabilities on some level. The chemical analysis can range from a series of procedures that examine a single analyte to tests that scan for hundreds of different analytes at the same time.

What makes this lab unique, however, is the ability to provide methodology development to determine what types of tests and processes would work for a given material and client need. There is not a single test or process that works for every material, which is why the chemistry team often must develop an individual method for different clients.

“We’re willing to work closely with our clients to develop methodologies and targeted analysis specific to their needs.” – Yimeng “Jack” He, Senior Analytical Chemist, IALR

IALR Chemistry Lab Equipment

Waters® ACQUITY UPLC (Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatograph) system coupled with Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (TQXS MS)
Waters® ACQUITY UPLC system coupled with a Photodiode Array (PDA) Detector and XEVO Quadrupole Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (QToF MS)
Agilent® 7890 Gas Chromatograph (GC) with Agilent 5975C Mass Spectrometer (MS)and Flame Ionization Detector (FID) with the 7696A Headspace Sampler add-on
Agilent® 7800 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer
Agilent® 1100 HPLC with Diode Array Detector (DAD)
Astoria Pacific® A2 Segmented Flow Analyzer coupled with an Astoria Pacific 311 autosampler
CEM® MARS 6 Microwave Extractor
Teledyne® Flash Chromatograph
Two Heidolph® 2-liter bench-top rotary evaporators

 

Chemistry Testing for Different Industries

The Analytical Chemistry Lab at IALR supports an exceptionally diverse pool of clients, which can broadly be grouped into a few categories:

  • Local growers
  • Startups
  • Large corporations

Since 2019, IALR’s Analytical Chemistry Lab has been certified by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) to test for cannabinoids in industrial hemp. As one of the few labs in the Commonwealth of Virginia that can issue certificates of analysis for hemp, growers from around Southern Virginia come to IALR for those needs.

“A grower’s livelihood is on the line, so we are very proud to be selected as one of the few labs that can be entrusted with this type of testing.” – Yimeng “Jack” He, Senior Analytical Chemist, IALR

The Analytical Chemistry Lab supports companies from around the world across numerous industries, including agricultural, biotech, chemical, pharmaceutical and natural product industries. Services include Quality Control (QC) testing and QC release, stability studies, method development and optimization and validation.

One regular client is Mara Labs – a relatively young startup company based in Charlottesville, Va., that produces health supplements. After conducting its own internal tests, the company sends samples of its BrocElite® supplement to the IALR Analytical Chemistry Lab for confirmatory testing of the percentage of Stabilized Sulforaphane – a chemical that comes from vegetables like broccoli. Once a sample’s actual chemical makeup is confirmed to match the label, IALR provides a certificate of analysis.

“In terms of quality control, we are making sure that our products are in good shape for the customer. Jack and the team are helping us to achieve that goal.” – Wei Zheng, Lab Technician, Mara Labs

In addition to the frequent confirmatory tests for the BrocElite® supplement, He has worked with the company to develop new methods for several other newer products.

“There’s all different types of methods that you have to go through to get the extraction process for different materials. It takes individualized methods to do that.” – Yimeng “Jack” He, Senior Analytical Chemist, IALR

Chemistry Capabilities that Support Innovative Plant Research

In addition to all the services provided to clients from around the world, the Analytical Chemistry Lab supports the innovative plant-oriented research happening on the IALR campus. While most chemistry labs are oriented towards water, air or material analysis, the IALR lab is ideally suited for plants – making it unique.

Even though it is a critical part of IALR’s Applied Research division, the Analytical Chemistry Lab is not a traditional research lab. However, its capabilities do support the ongoing research of both the Plant Endophyte Research Center – an initiative focused on the use of naturally occurring plant bacteria as biostimulants and biocontrol agents – and the Virginia Tech-IALR Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Innovation Center.

An example: the Plant Endophyte Research Center is exploring ways to utilize microorganisms to help plants capture nitrogen from the air. The air is approximately 78% nitrogen, but plants cannot naturally pull nitrogen from the air; nitrogen is one of the costliest and environmentally damaging fertilizers. Some microorganisms (like endophytes) can help that process, and the Chemistry team is developing a specific methodology to see if the bacteria in experiments are fixing nitrogen from the air.

“When you combine our controlled environment agriculture work with our analytical chemistry and our capabilities in biology, it really makes the CEA Innovation Center unique in the U.S. The fact that we have everything together enriches all our programs.” – Dr. Scott Lowman, Vice President of Applied Research, IALR

 

 

Inside IALR Podcast: Cutting-Edge Analytical Chemistry Testing Services

Inside IALR Podcast: Cutting-Edge Analytical Chemistry Testing Services

The “Inside IALR” team sits down with Senior Analytical Chemist, Yimeng “Jack” He, and Vice President of Applied Research, Dr. Scott Lowman, to discuss what analytical chemistry is (1:02). They discuss the primary capabilities and services offered by IALR’s chemistry lab such as Quality Control (QC) testing, stability studies, method development, and optimization and validation (2:21). Jack highlights some of the different pieces of equipment in the lab (9:05) and explains how it compares to other chemistry labs. Dr. Lowman also highlights the differences between fundamental and applied research (25:03) and how the analytical chemistry lab factors into IALR’s other research initiatives.

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IALR Collaborates with AgroSpheres

IALR Collaborates with AgroSpheres

Abigail Alderson, a Research Assistant for the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), and Narges Reiahisamani, a Plant Molecular Biologist for AgroSpheres, have worked together on the IALR campus for about a month. The pair have initially focused on running preliminary tests of the growing environment within the greenhouses at IALR and reading existing literature on RNA interference (RNAi), which allows researchers to target and “turn off” specific genes in particular pests.

Alderson and Reiahisamani are conducting research for AgroSpheres, a Charlottesville-based company focused on environmentally friendly crop protection products that utilize RNAi. In the coming months, they will ramp up their research efforts, using IALR’s Analytical Chemistry Lab and testing services, additional greenhouse space, and plant imaging technology to examine the impact of various products in different growing environments.

This collaboration with AgroSpheres exemplifies IALR’s commitment to partnerships and working closely with industry.

“The needs of industry fuel everything we do within the Applied Research division. Sharing our research capabilities and state-of-the-art equipment and spaces with companies like AgroSpheres is a way to contribute to industry growth, bring new companies into Southern Virginia and drive economic transformation.” – Dr. Scott Lowman, Vice President, Applied Research, IALR

Reiahisamani and Alderson will test AgroSpheres’ next generation RNAi biostimulants on various agricultural products, including tomatoes, peppers and canola.

“Having Narges and Abigail on the IALR campus allows us to leverage these advanced capabilities without having to build them ourselves. It also allows us to benefit from the experts on the IALR research team.” – Ameer Shakeel, Founder & CTO, AgroSpheres

Reiahisamani and Alderson will grow plants in IALR’s greenhouse but will also utilize other technologies and testing capabilities, especially in the Analytical Chemistry Lab, to measure those results better. In the future, the pair will also use one of IALR’s SMART Tables, which are precision, automated plant-imaging platforms that allow for thorough measurement across a plant growth cycle.

“We want to try their product and see how it works, confirming the results with different tests and methods,” Reiahisamani explained.

“The SMART Table will give us a way to quantify the physical traits we see without intense, expensive lab procedures,” Alderson added.

Founded in the Charlottesville area in 2016, AgroSpheres aims to transform agriculture through reliable and affordable biobased solutions. In May of 2023, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that the company would invest $25 million to expand in Albermarle County, creating an additional 50 jobs. In late November the company also announced $25 million in Series B funding round with a strategic investment from FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC), a global leader in agriculture sciences.

“IALR has been a very helpful partner that we can rely on for any analytical/experimental needs, and now we are hoping to invest back into IALR and increase our presence in the Danville community.” – Ameer Shakeel, Founder & CTO, AgroSpheres

“Everyone has been accommodating and collaborative and made sure we have everything we need,” Alderson said.

IALR frequently hosts and collaborates with educators, researchers and companies from Southern Virginia and worldwide. Companies that need contract research services or are interested in utilizing labs, greenhouses or research space at IALR should contact Dr. Scott Lowman.

VDACS Approves IALR as Industrial Hemp Testing Lab

VDACS Approves IALR as Industrial Hemp Testing Lab

Already ISO 17025-certified and accredited by the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, IALR’s Analytical Chemistry Lab adds a new distinguishing recognition to its portfolio. The lab is now approved by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) to determine industrial hemp’s compliance with the Virginia Industrial Hemp Law.

This new VDACS requirement, now attained by IALR, allows approved labs to conduct analytical testing for purposes of detecting total delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of an industrial hemp sample. IALR’s lab also offers a whole range of additional testing viewable at https://bit.ly/hempform. Staff look forward to assisting regional farmers with these high-quality, yet affordable, testing capabilities during this summer’s growing season.

The VDACS qualification is effective through December 31, 2022. The lab and all others approved for this season will reapply with VDACS before conducting analytical testing in 2023 and each following year.

IALR’s Analytical Chemistry Lab has served clients of the hemp industry since 2018. The lab uses the highest quality Waters and Agilent equipment as well as the highest-grade consumables. It adheres to the strictest standards to ensure quality testing and service.

Yimeng “Jack” He stands in front of the Waters UPLC with TQXS Mass Spectrometer with the ISO 17025 certification plaque which the lab received in 2020.