Evaluation of a New Chemical Label <i>BASA</i>: A Comparison with Gold Standards

Personalized medicine involves tailoring medical treatments to the unique characteristics of each individual. For example, genomic insights enable precise diagnoses and targeted therapies in oncology. However, significant challenges remain in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying many diseases. Metabolomics, the study of small molecules within biological systems, holds great promise for advancing personalized medicine through molecular-level insights. By combining derivatization and LC-MS, it is possible to achieve metabolite identification, enhancing both the sensitivity and coverage of analyses. In this study, we introduce BASA as a derivatization reagent. After identifying the specific fragmentation patterns of BASA-derivatized compounds, a library of approximately one hundred molecules was derivatized to compare BASA with four commercial chemical labels. In addition to its versatility, BASA allows for sample analysis in negative mode, further increasing analytical sensitivity. Negative mode presents an opportunity for untargeted analysis of biological samples due to reduced background noise. Combined with specific fragments, BASA-derived compounds seem promising for metabolomic exploration. Further studies are needed to fully demonstrate their contributions to exploring complex biological environments.