Company Announcements

AB SCIEX announced a joint technology development project with the University of Melbourne to improve drug metabolism studies of biopharmaceuticals. The project is focused on developing a standardized testing methodology based on the QTRAP 5500 and TripleTOF 5600.

In November, AB SCIEX formed a direct sales organization in Korea. Former distributor Life Science Korea transferred sales, service and marketing personnel.

Agilent collaborated with the South Bend Medical Foundation to develop urine-testing methods for LC/MS/MS to meet the new guidelines for federal workplace drug testing that took effect October 1.

Thermo Fisher Scientific and Proteome Sciences announced a collaboration to further develop quantitative proteomic workflows. Proteome Sciences installed the Thermo Scientific LTQ Orbitrap Velos and TSQ Vantage for use with its tandem mass tag (TMT) reagents.

Bruker Daltonics announced in September a codevelopment and comarketing collaboration with BD Diagnostics for an integrated approach to bacterial and fungal identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The firms will combine their respective MALDI Biotyper microbial ID system and BD Phoenix Microbiology System.

IonSense announced it will sell, support and market M&M Consulting’s ASAP (atmospheric solids analysis probe) technology for open-air MS.

Prosolia named Research Director Justin Wiseman president and CEO.

Product Introductions

Bruker introduced the MALDI Sepsityper kit for the rapid identification of micro-organisms from positive blood culture bottles using its MALDI Biotyper solution.

Hiden Analytical launched the QGA compact benchtop MS for continuous real-time multispecies analysis of gases and vapors in the range of 2 b to 100 mb absolute.

Advion BioSystems released the LESA Points software for direct analysis from planar surfaces without sample preparation.

Thermo Fisher Scientific launched Mass Frontier 7.0 small molecule structural elucidation software, featuring an enhanced Fragment Ion Search screening tool.

In November, Agilent introduced the affordable Agilent 500 Ion Trap LC/MS for routine analytical applications.

Sales/Orders of Note

In October, AB SCIEX announced that the US FDA purchased eight QTRAP 5500s for food supply analysis.

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University selected Bruker to design and build the world’s first 21.0 T Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance magnet. The contract is valued at more than $10 million. Delivery is planned for the first half of 2013.