Homogenization of Formalin-Fixed Umbilical Cord and Placenta Tissues Using the Omni THq Homogenizer and 12 mm Omni Tip™ Hybrid Probe

Every 25 minutes a Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) baby is born (Anbalagan, 2021). NAS is a spectrum of clinical manifestations seen in neonates due to withdrawal from intrauterine drug exposure, commonly associated with maternal opioid use. The incidence of NAS has increased fivefold in the past decade. 

Today’s substance abuse landscape is drastically different than it used to be. Testing necessitates the most advanced newborn toxicology options available on the market. 

Umbilical cord and placenta tissues are employed as matrices of study in illicit drug and toxicology testing of the newborn. This is mainly due to an improved chain of custody for sample collection, compared to meconium, while still producing quality results when analyzed via LC-MS/MS (Montgomery, 2008). To prepare umbilical cord and placenta tissue for downstream workflows, the samples must be initially homogenized to disrupt the tissue cells and release analytes of interest. Traditional methods for tough sample matrices such as these involve household blenders which can be difficult to clean and may produce inconsistent results. 

With the 12 mm Omni Tip™ hybrid probe and Omni THq homogenizer, sample preparation of umbilical cord and placenta is streamlined, enabling efficient homogenization with capacity to translate into an automated sample preparation platform to accommodate high sample-throughput demands.

Figure 1: Pre- and post-homogenization photos of 0.5 g umbilical cord tissue