One of the major goals of the AAA Committee is to provide opportunities for ABRF members to assess the quality of their own work. Another is education, providing information on how member laboratories can best improve the quality of their work. Both these aspects are approached through the "collaborative trial" studies carried out each year by the committee. The trials are collaborative in that data are returned to the committee for compilation and statistical analysis. The results are then presented in a variety of formats so that member labs can assess how well their work compares to the pool of respondents. While distributing the samples for these collaborative trials, the AAA Committee takes the opportunity to point out new or otherwise pertinent references, and thus tries to ensure that all members are aware of methodological studies that have been published by workers in the field.
Last year, the AAA Committee provided an opportunity for laboratories to assess their ability to detect and quantitate phosphate-containing peptides. Laboratories that did not wish to participate in the phospho-peptide portion of the study were invited to assess the unmodified amino acids, and this invitation is provided each year in which an unusual study is proffered. As in all such studies conducted by the ABRF, the results were collected, processed, and released anonymously, so that only the member laboratory could identify their own work.
The AAA Committee has planned a study this year to discriminate between hydrolysis problems and chromatography problems in amino acid analyses. We are therefore sending out two samples. One sample is already hydrolyzed, while the other is the usual type of sample which needs both hydrolysis and chromatography. The Committee is hoping for as much participation as possible; even if you can't find time for both samples, data from either one would be appreciated.
The future looks to be very interesting, too. The AAA Committee is preparing a major review article on practical aspects of amino acid analysis. This is another effort in our educational obligation, and should be in print before the year is out. Also, a number of members will be retiring after this year's study, and volunteers who are willing to take their turn should be encouraged to contact us - a little bit of labor is a lot of fun!
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