SALT LAKE CITY and ORLANDO, Fla. — What’s roughly the size of a toaster, yet likely to end up in the hands of chemists, scientists and laboratory researchers around the globe? The new Axcend Focus LC™ from Axcend™.

The Axcend Focus LC is a gradient liquid chromatograph designed specifically for mobile and on-the-go use, but powerful enough to be used in any state-of-the-art laboratory. The Axcend Focus LC will be unveiled February 27—March 1, 2018 in Booth #1802 at the Pittcon 2018 conference and exposition in Orlando, Florida.

Developed in the Brigham Young University laboratories of Professor Milton Lee, Ph.D., the Axcend Focus LC is a nano-flow liquid chromatograph that measures ~30x20x20cm, weighs ~5.4kg (12 lbs.) and operates on battery or electrical outlet power. Visual/statistical output from the Axcend Focus LC is delivered securely and wirelessly to any Web-connected smartphone, tablet or personal computer capable of HTML5 display, with the additional ability to connect via a USB cable to any PC.

According to Dr. Lee, the Axcend Focus LC delivers 100 times (100X) greater sensitivity than traditional LC systems, while also dramatically reducing volume sizes.

“Designing a powerful yet truly portable LC from the ground-up required an entirely new mindset development-wise,” said Dr. Lee, Axcend Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer. “Among other things, that meant moving to 150mm (micrometer) nano-flow internal diameter capillary columns filled with 1.7mm—3.0mm fused silica particles. We also needed very small pumps and miniaturized LED UV-absorption detectors. However, what we discovered by taking this path was that not only is the Axcend Focus LC incredibly small, it also ended up being 100 times more sensitive than traditional liquid chromatographs because of the unique design.”

In addition to its greater sensitivity, the Axcend Focus LC requires as little as 1/500^th the volumes of samples and solvents. And if run continuously for one week, the Axcend Focus LC only produces one teaspoon (1tsp) of waste. The Axcend Focus LC is also designed to be extremely easy to use, so much so that it can be operated by individuals with little training or experience in LC.

“Our key message is that the Axcend Focus LC is designed for use by professionals everywhere and in any setting,” said Glen Mella, Axcend Co-Founder and CEO. “But we also believe its mobility, wireless connectivity and ease-of-use open up new LC applications never before possible. Operators will be able to transport our device right to the point of sampling, quickly insert the column cartridge into the Axcend Focus LC, start the chemical analysis, and receive the LC data in an average of 10—15 minutes. And yes, it really is that simple.”

Commercial availability and pricing of the Axcend Focus LC is slated for the second quarter of 2018.

Individuals interested in learning more about the Axcend Focus LC and how it can benefit their organizations are invited to visit Axcend in Booth #1802 at Pittcon 2018. Or they can contact the company by calling 801-376-9088 or via email at [email protected].

About Axcend
Axcend is a provider of innovative, compact nanoflow liquid chromatography (LC) systems that deliver dramatic improvements in portability, ease of operation, rapid and convenient deployment, and coupling to other analytical systems (such as mass spectrometers). For more information, visit www.AxcendCorp.com or call 801-376-9088.

Axcend, the Axcend logo and Axcend Focus LC are trademarks of Axcend, LLC. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.