New Product Trends at ASMS 2019

The 67th American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, held this week in Atlanta, Georgia, is a major showcase for mass spectrometry system (MS) introductions. Below are some of the trends evident among the many system launches.

Small is Big

Agilent Technologies introduced the LC/MSD iQ single quadrupole MS, measuring 12 x 18.7 in (305 x 475 mm), and described it as 7 in shorter and 7 in shallower than its predecessor for an over a 50% reduction in size. A smaller size enables stacking with Agilent’s LC systems. The ease of use and smaller size targets chromatography users.

Shimadzu debuted the MALDImini-1, a 55 lb (25 kg), 11.7 x 16.5 in (297 x 420 mm) MALDI digital ion trap MS system. Size benefits include the ability to be located next to the sample preparation space. Performance specs comparable with larger systems include MSn capabilities.

Thermo Fisher Scientific also aimed to reduce size with the new Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris 480, quadrupole-Orbitrap MS, measuring  534 × 763 × 703 mm (21 × 30 × 27.7 in), a quarter of the size of previous Exploris systems, and half the weight at 120 kg (265 lb) (without data system, vacuum rough pumps, and optional items). The system is designed for applications encompassing small and large molecules, with a wmass range of 40-6,000 m/z and the option of up to 8,000 m/z.

A Cell-ing Point for MS

Bruker’s new SpatialOMx solution enabled by the introduction of the TimsTOF flex MS addresses the need to measure both spatial and temporal characteristics of cellular tumors. It combines MALDI imaging with TimsTOF MS capabilities in one system. Applications include investigation of the correlation of RNAseq results with protein expression in the same sample.

Thermo Fisher Scientific highlighted the use of the new Orbitrap Eclilpse Tribrid MS with TMT reagents and synchronous precursor selection-based MS3 technology for single-cell analysis studies. Proteins in a single cell were identified with a subset quantified, providing information on cell type and cell state.

Flexing Functionality

SCIEX introduced the mid-range SCIEX Triple Quad 5500+ LC-MS/MS System–QTRAP Ready, enabling users to upgrade from a triple quadrupole MS system to a QTRAP for linear ion trap analysis and the added capability of MRM3.

Waters’ new SYNAPT XS provides flexibility with 10 acquisition modes, including Waters’ SONAR and HDMSE data independent acquisition modes, as well as multiple inlet options. It is designed to address a range of applications in drug discovery and characterization.

 

For more on the MS market and new products, see SDi’s latest MS report.