MASS CORRELATED ACCELERATION TO REVOLUTIONIZE LIFE SCIENCE RESEARCH

Shimadzu Biotech licences unique technology from Johns Hopkins

In a presentation given today at the 49th Annual ASMS Conference, Robert J. Cotter, Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, announced the development of a new pulsed ion extraction technique, which will revolutionise the drug discovery process. This proprietary technology, known as Mass Correlated Acceleration (MCA), has been licensed exclusively to Kratos Analytical (part of Shimadzu Biotech) and will be incorporated into its AXIMA range of MALDI mass spectrometers later this year.

MCA produces high mass resolution over a far wider mass range than traditional pulsed extraction technologies. Where previously several different settings of the extraction delay would have been necessary, MCA needs only one. This is important for high throughput, where the number of experiments is critical.

This is the second type of technology that Kratos has licensed exclusively from Johns Hopkins, the first being the Curved Field Reflectron (CFR) that is used in the company's AXIMA CFR MALDI TOF mass spectrometer.

Professor Cotter remarked of this new technology: "Time-of-flight instruments have a unique advantage over other mass spectrometers in their ability to record all masses simultaneously. Traditional pulsed extraction methods lose that "multiplex" advantage, giving up both sensitivity and speed. Thus this new technology, along with the non-scanning curved field reflectron, is aimed specifically at the high throughput needs of the genomics and proteomics markets that utilize oligonucleotide probe and protein biochips. The mass-correlated technique is one result of our laboratory's efforts to design mass spectrometry technology aimed at specific and critical measurement needs in biological research".

Frank Trundle, MALDI TOF Business Manager for Shimadzu Biotech commented: "We are pleased to be able to make both of these unique technologies exclusively available to our customers. A key focus for Shimadzu Biotech is investing in the development of new, and more advanced, methods for life science research to create a completely integrated solution. MCA will be a much valued addition to our technology portfolio."

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For more information, please contact:

Shimadzu Biotech
Chris Sutton, MALDI Business Manager
Fax: +44 (0)161 888 4402 ext 228
Tel: +44 (0)161 888 4400
email: chris.sutton@kratos.co.uk
Website: http://www.shimadzu-biotech.net

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HCC De Facto Group plc
Richard Anderson
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Fax: +44 (0)20 7496 3355
email: r.anderson@hccdefacto.com