The 2026 Analytical Testing Frontier Forum, held in early July, brought together industry experts, senior practitioners and representatives of leading companies to focus on frontier technologies, new industry standards and emerging trends. It was one of the most high-powered gatherings in the analytical testing sector.

Among the companies on stage: Reliable Med, our Chinese parent company and the manufacturer behind Reliable Australasia’s instrument range.

Named from the main stage

The forum assembled an exceptional line-up, including Academician Jiang Guibin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academician Le Xiaochun (X. Chris Le) of the Royal Society of Canada, and Professor Liu Huwei of Peking University.

Academician Jiang delivered the headline report, Developing Mass Spectrometry Technology, Raising the Standard of Analysis, setting out the latest advances in mass spectrometry worldwide. In it, he made particular mention of the two national major research projects in which Reliable Med participates:

  • A 3D-printed comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography - quadrupole multi-reflection time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer
  • A hybrid ion trap mass analyser

Having the company’s research investment and project results singled out in a keynote by one of the field’s leading scientists is a strong endorsement of the engineering behind the platforms our customers run every day.

Dr Han on mass spectrometry in food safety

Reliable Med’s Applications Director, Dr Han Zhiqiang, joined the academicians on the full forum programme and presented a dedicated session, Applications of High-End Mass Spectrometry in Food Safety.

Mass spectrometry, often called the “jewel in the crown” of analytical chemistry, has long been the gold standard for food safety risk monitoring, thanks to its high sensitivity, high specificity and high accuracy. With regulatory standards tightening and consumer expectations rising, laboratories are being asked to do more, faster, at lower detection limits.

Dr Han’s session centred on the two platform technologies at the heart of that work:

  • Liquid chromatography - triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for pesticide residue, veterinary drug residue and food additive quantitation
  • Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for trace elemental and heavy metals analysis

Drawing on real-world laboratory deployments, he set out the technical breakthroughs and performance of the instruments in each of these core food-testing scenarios.

Academicians at the booth

Beyond the stage, the exchanges continued at Reliable Med’s booth, where Academician Jiang, Academician Le and Professor Liu spent time with the technical team in deep discussion about the direction of food safety testing technology. The visiting scientists affirmed the rapid progress of the company’s mass spectrometry programme and its prospects. That recognition was earned through sustained investment in independent research and a first-rate technical team.

What this means for ANZ laboratories

The LC-MS/MS and ICP-MS platforms Dr Han presented are the same instrument families we supply and support locally: the INSIGHT TQ 9000 LC-MS/MS and the INSIGHT SQ 6000 ICP-MS. When your instrument comes from a manufacturer whose research is cited by Chinese Academy of Sciences academicians, and is backed by an Australia and New Zealand based team that installs, trains and services, you get the best of both: serious engineering and local support.

If you would like to talk through any of these applications for your laboratory, reach out to a specialist any time.

The experts on stage

Academician Jiang Guibin

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and analytical and environmental chemist. Founder of the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, author of 1,100+ SCI papers, and a member of China’s National Food Safety Risk Assessment Expert Committee.

Academician Le Xiaochun (X. Chris Le)

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and Distinguished Professor at the University of Alberta. A pioneer of LC-ICP-MS speciation analysis for heavy metals and arsenic, and Associate Editor of Analytical Chemistry, with more than 300 published papers.

Professor Liu Huwei

Professor in the College of Chemistry at Peking University and a leading scholar in chromatography-mass spectrometry. Developer of the PALDI and DART ambient ionisation techniques, widely used for rapid screening of pesticide residues and additives.

Dr Han Zhiqiang

Applications Director at Reliable Med. PhD in analytical chemistry from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, with more than twenty years in mass spectrometry and chromatography, including senior technical and product roles at Waters and PerkinElmer.