CCDG Dinner Lecture

Join us for a dinner and networking event Wednesday February 25, 2026 at the Westwood Tavern in Schaumburg, IL. The lecture will be presented by Elizabeth Sande. This presentation describes a rapid, efficient method for analyzing post-translational crosslinking in the extracellular matrix, which is crucial for understanding fibrotic diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). By streamlining LC-MS/MS sample analysis to just two minutes and introducing a tissue-based surrogate matrix for dihydroxylysinonorleucine (DHLNL), the process is less labor-intensive and provides more accurate quantification. Application of this method revealed elevated DHLNL levels in both IPF patient lung tissue and a fibrotic mouse model compared to controls. Importantly, treatment with an anti-fibrotic compound reduced DHLNL levels, indicating the assay's potential utility for evaluating drug efficacy in fibrosis.

Elizabeth is currently a Scientist II at AbbVie within the High-Throughput, Automation, Bioassay, BioAnalysis (HT-ABBA) group, with a combined decade of hands-on experience in instrumentation and chromatography utilizing LC-MS/MS. She holds a master's degree in pharmaceutical sciences with a concentration in forensic science from the University of Florida obtained in 2021. Working in a variety of industries such as food, toxicology, and pharmaceuticals has fostered her career and love of separation science.