Reference Materials: Significance, General Requirements, and Demand

ABSTRACT

Reference materials play an important part in the quality control of measurements. Rapid development of such new scientific disciplines as proteomics, metabolomics, and genomics also necessitates development of new reference materials. This is a great challenge due to the complexity of the production of new reference materials and difficulties associated with achieving their homogeneity and stability. CRMs of tissue are of particular importance. They can be counted among the matrices that are most complex and time consuming in preparation. Tissue is the place of transformation and accumulation of many substances (e.g., metabolites, which are intermediate or end products resulting from metabolic processes). Trace amounts of many substances in tissues must be determined with adequate precision and accuracy. To meet the needs stemming from research and from problems and challenges faced by chemists, analysts, and toxicologists, the number of certified reference materials should be continuously increased.

Keywords:

• Biological matrices
• certification
• certified reference material
• homogeneity
• metabolomics
• uncertainty

Acknowledgment

The authors thank Prof. Jacek Namieśsnik for substantive comments during the preparation of this manuscript.

Funding

This project is financed in the framework of the grant entitled “Production and attestation of new types of reference materials crucial for achieving European accreditation for Polish industrial laboratories (MODAS)” attributed by the National Center for Research and Development.