Waters Corporation Announces The Purchase Of UPLC/MS Systems By The National Cancer Institute For Advanced Metabolomics Research

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics;  IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 02 Apr 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) announced that the National Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Research in Bethesda, Md., purchased Waters(R) ACQUITY UPLC(R)/Synapt High Definition MS (HDMS(TM)) and Waters ACQUITY(R) UPLC/Xevo(TM) TQ MS Systems for its metabolomics research programs. The research is aimed at discovering small molecule metabolites, or biomarkers, associated with cancer susceptibility and diagnosis, treatment efficacy and the adverse effects of medicines and other chemicals. Researchers are confident these tools will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of the disease and its diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Identifying and quantifying the thousands of metabolic biomarkers present in a complex sample such as urine can be a daunting task. Only with the most sensitive of instruments and most powerful of software can researchers uncover and pinpoint the important biomarkers that may be present even in the smallest of quantities. This level of advanced research requires analytical tools with exceptional separations and confirmatory power, and the speed and reliability to analyze thousands of samples per month. Since purchasing an ACQUITY UPLC/Q-Tof Premier(TM) mass spectrometer in 2005, the Center has tested 80,000 samples using this system in support of various research studies.

Waters ACQUITY UPLC System employs 1.7 micron particles in analytical columns that permit higher chromatographic resolution, shorter analysis times, and the use of less solvent per sample. Paired with tandem quadrupole and quadrupole time-of-flight/ion mobility mass spectrometry, the sharper chromatographic peaks, increased peak heights, and better signal-to-noise performance of UPLC(R) technology improves the mass spectrometer's ability to ionize molecules. This capability leads to greater all-around MS sensitivity and the ability to accurately identify vanishingly small concentrations of individual analytes. UPLC separations typically take only 10 minutes versus nearly 50 minutes for traditional HPLC to get the same answer leading to dramatically better throughput. UPLC consumes up to 95 percent less solvent than HPLC, a major consideration given the current shortage and rising cost of acetonitrile and the amount of solvent that metabolomics studies consume.

Waters Xevo TQ MS System is an advanced tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer that tackles the most demanding quantification applications for target compounds at low concentrations in highly complex and diverse samples. The Xevo TQ MS System uses ScanWave(TM), a unique collision cell technology based on a novel use of Waters' proven T-Wave(TM) technology that improves duty cycle and significantly enhances the full scan capability to meet the demands of today's complex analyses. This allows scientists to more easily confirm the identities and structures of targeted analytes.

The Synapt(TM) HDMS system combines quadrupole time-of-flight with ion-mobility technology and software to enable the analysis of sample ions differentiated by size and shape, as well as mass. This additional dimension of separations fidelity leads to improved specificity and sample definition, meaning scientists can extract more information about their samples and detect previously unseen constituents.

Together with bioinformatics software tools incorporated in Waters MassLynx(TM) software, researchers using UPLC/MS/MS can analyze tens of thousands of data points per analysis, ultimately creating a more informed picture of the mechanisms of toxicity and carcinogenicity in human patients.

About Waters Corporation

Waters Corporation creates business advantages for laboratory-dependent organizations by delivering practical and sustainable innovation to enable significant advancements in such areas as healthcare delivery, environmental management, food safety and water quality worldwide.

Pioneering a connected portfolio of separations science, laboratory information management, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis, Waters technology breakthroughs and laboratory solutions provide an enduring platform for customer success.

With revenue of $1.58 billion in 2008 and 5,000 employees, Waters is driving scientific discovery and operational excellence for customers worldwide.

Waters, Synapt, MassLynx, ACQUITY, ACQUITY UPLC, ACQUITY UltraPerformance LC, UPLC, High Definition Mass Spectrometry, High Definition MS, Q-Tof Premier, ScanWave, T-Wave and Xevo are trademarks of Waters Corporation.

Waters Corporation
http://www.waters.com

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