Why I started Trich

Trich was never meant to be a replacement for standard laboratories.

I started it because, again and again, I found myself working on projects where standard methods worked well - until they didn't. When samples were too small. When non-lethal approaches were required. When variability mattered. When resampling wasn't possible. When the answers needed to hold up under real scrutiny.

In those moments, important questions were often simplified or left unasked - not because they weren't valid, but because the tools weren't designed for them.

I wanted to change that.

Running into the same limits, repeatedly

I’ve spent more than two decades working in toxicology, environmental science, and metals analysis. Over that time, I’ve worked across long-running monitoring programs, baseline studies, wildlife research, and high-stakes investigations.

What became clear fairly early on is that standard laboratory methods are not broken. They’re trusted for good reasons, especially in established programs with decades of historical data.

But I also saw where those methods become limiting — particularly in less typical cases that matter. Ultra-small samples. Limited tissue availability. Situations where compositing averages away the very information you’re trying to understand. Projects where uncertainty carries real consequences.

That disconnect stayed with me.

Asking a different question

Trich didn’t come from trying to build “better technology”.

It came from a more practical question:

What kinds of questions could we answer if sample size, sensitivity, and defensibility were no longer the limiting factors?

Laser ablation ICP-MS gave us a way to work at a scale where traditional methods struggle — extracting meaningful metals data from ultra-small, non-standard samples, without forcing compromises.

"For me, the technology was only useful if it enabled better decisions. And it does!" Dr Jennie Christensen, Founder & CEO

BRING US YOUR QUESTIONS

A SPECIALIST LAB

From the beginning, Trich was never designed to operate as a high-volume, standardized testing operation.

Trich is a problem-solving laboratory designed for projects with analytical constraints.

We tend to get involved when things are difficult:

When samples are too
small for conventional
workflows.

When non-lethal or
minimal sampling is
required.

When spacial variability
and site-specific
insights matter.

When resampling may
be necessary, but
impossible.

When programs are
new, emerging or
high-stakes.

When teams need
answers they can stand
behind.

These aren’t everyday situations — but when they come up, the need becomes critical.

COLLABORATION DRIVES EVERY ANSWER

One of the strongest lessons from my own career is that the hardest questions are rarely solved in isolation. That’s why Trich doesn’t just process samples. We work collaboratively with our clients to help determine:

• What’s worth testing
• What’s possible with the samples available
• Where conventional workflows may become limiting
• How to structure sampling for defensible outcomes

For many clients, the value isn’t just the analysis – it’s having experienced people help think through the problem when the path forward isn’t obvious.

WHAT I CARE ABOUT

The way Trich operates reflects what I care about most in science:

• Respect for standard methods and why they exist
• Precision where uncertainty matters
• Minimal and non-lethal sampling whenever possible
• Transparency around limitations and trade-offs
• Partnership over throughput

Good science isn’t just about producing data.

It’s about interpreting it – and recognizing what can be lost in the process.

LOOKING FORWARD

Trich continues to evolve as new baseline studies emerge, new monitoring frameworks develop, and new environmental questions are asked.

My goal has never been to make Trich the biggest lab.

It has been to make it the lab people turn to when standard methods can’t answer important questions – when the stakes are high, and the answers must hold up.

Dr Jennie Christensen

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Publications

Date	Title	Authors	Published
2024	Micro distribution of arsenic in toenail clippings using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: implications for biomonitoring.	Christensen, Jennie R., LaBine, Geriene O., Cheung, Janet S., Rosol, Renata, Mohapatra, Asish K., Laird, Brian, Chan, Hing Man	Springer Nature Switzerland AG 196:181
2023	Human hair from the wreck of HMS Erebus of the Franklin Expedition, 1845: Elemental chemistry revealed by double-ablation LA-ICP-MS	Bowman, Adrian W., Christensen, Jennie R., Dagneau, C., Kavousanaki, D., Millar, K., Moore, J.	Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 52 (2023) 104270
2023	Microchemistry of Single Hair Strands Below and Above the Scalp: Impact of External Contamination on Cuticle and Cortex Layers	Christensen, Jennie R., and LaBine, Geriene O.	Springer Science + Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023
2023	Screening for elevated blood lead levels using single hair strands: Accounting for external contamination	Christensen, Jennie R., LaBine, Geriene O., Molloy, Philip and McBeth, Joyce.	Hygiene and Environmental Health Advances 8 (2023) 100081
2021	Determination of Elemental Composition in Soft Biological Tissue Using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry: Method Validation.	Labine, Geriene O., Molloy, Philip P., and Christensen, Jennie R.	Applied Spectroscopy Vol. 75(10) 1262–1277
2018	Application of innovative techniques for investigation of cause studies in environmental effects monitoring for metal mines in Canada: need for technical guidance.	Elphick, J., Gilron, G., and Christensen, J.	Integr. Environ. Assess. Manag. 14(4):519-521
2017	Hartnell’s time machine: 170-year-old nails reveal zinc deficiency played a greater role than lead in the demise of the Franklin Expedition	Christensen, J.R., J.M. McBeth, N.J. Sylvain, J. Spence, and H-M. Chan	Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 16:430-440
2015	Using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to characterize copper, zinc and mercury along grizzly bear hair providing estimate of diet	Noel, M., J.R. Christensen, J. Spence, and C.T. Robbins	Science of the Total Environment 529:1-9, 2015, 2015
2013	Plant consumption by grizzly bears reduces biomagnification of salmon-derived polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and organochlorine pesticides	Christensen, J.R., M.B. Yunker, M. MacDuffee, and P.S. Ross	Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 32(5):995-1005, 2013
2014	Grizzly bear hair reveals toxic exposure to mercury through salmon consumption	Noel, M., J. Spence, K.A. Harris, C.T. Robbins, J.K. Fortin, P.S. Ross, and J.R. Christensen	Environmental Science and Technology 48(13):7560-7567, 2014
2012	Biomagnification of polychlorinated biphenyls in a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) food web from the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia (Canada)	Cullon, D.L., M.B. Yunker, J.R. Christensen, R.W. Macdonald, M.J. Whiticar, N.J. Dangerfield and P.S. Ross	Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 31(11):2445-2455
2009	Persistent or not persistent? Polychlorinated biphenyls are readily depurated by grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis)	Christensen, J.R., R.J. Letcher and P.S. Ross.	Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 28(10): 2206-2215, 2009
2007	Hibernation-associated changes in persistent organic pollutant (POP) levels and patterns in British Columbia grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis)	Christensen, J.R., M. MacDuffee, M. Yunker and P.S. Ross	Environmental Science and Technology 41(6): 1834-1840, 2007
2005	Effects of nonylphenol on tail resorption and metamorphic staging in Rana catesbeiana tadpoles	Christensen, J.R., J.S. Richardson, C.A. Bishop, B. Pauli and J.E. Elliott	Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 68(7): 557-572, 2005
2005	Persistent organic pollutants in British Columbia grizzly bears: consequence of divergent diets	Christensen, J.R., M. MacDuffee, M. Whiticar and P.S. Ross	Environmental Science and Technology 39(18): 6952-6960, 2005
2004	Validation of an Amphibian Sperm Inhibition Toxicological Test (ASITT) method using zinc	Christensen, J.R., C.A. Bishop, J.S. Richardson, B. Pauli and J.E. Elliott	Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 23(12): 2950-2955, 2004
2004	Effects of pH and dilution on African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) sperm motility	Christensen, J.R., B. Pauli, J.S. Richardson, C.A. Bishop and J.E. Elliott	Canadian Journal of Zoology 82(4): 555-563, 2004

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