Waters has launched its Synapt MS system, describing it as a next-generation quadrupole orthogonal acceleration, time-of-flight (oa-Tof) mass spectrometry (MS) platform
Synapt MS is a key part of Waters's strategy to enhance the quality and productivity of life science and drug discovery and development workflows.
Additionally, the Synapt MS system is the only platform which provides an upgrade pathway to the Synapt High Definition MS (HDMS) system, uniquely enabling researchers to analyse samples differentiated by size, shape and charge, as well as mass, ultimately providing new capabilities that can help them meet and exceed future requirements.
"Confident sample identification, detailed characterisation and increased productivity are primary requirements for intelligent mass spectrometry-based solutions in key biomedical applications such as proteomics, metabonomic profiling, biomarker discovery/validation and pharmaceutical R+D," said Brian Smith, vice president, mass spectrometry operations for the Waters Division.
"The new Synapt MS meets these demands through application specific system solutions designed to help our customers accelerate and improve the quality of laboratory analysis with the goal of advancing research and reducing time-to-market".
Synapt MS is a central component of Waters's system level solutions - combining Acquity UltraPerformance LC (UPLC) separations, Exact Mass MSE data acquisition and 'chemically intelligent' MassLynx Informatics - designed to generate high quality, comprehensive data from complex biological samples, maximise confidence in results and enable scientists to make better informed decisions.
Synapt MS systems also offer unparalleled versatility and flexibility.
For example, the Maldi-enabled Synapt MS system enables researchers to perform Maldi imaging studies, primarily to determine the spatial localisation of drugs, metabolites and peptides in biological tissues with high specificity and sensitivity.
This can enable greater numbers of candidates to be evaluated in the drug discovery phase, leading to more rigorous selection of compounds for ongoing development.
"A unique aspect of the Synapt MS System is that it is HDMS-ready.
Our customers will be able to upgrade their systems to incorporate the unique High Definition MS capabilities when they require more powerful solutions to meet their future goals, effectively future-proofing their laboratories," added Smith.
Designed for leading researchers working at the boundaries of conventional mass spectrometry capabilities who need to further characterise and define their samples, Waters Synapt HDMS systems offer unique, enabling functionality.
Using Waters's patented TriWave technology, Synapt HDMS systems combine high-efficiency, ion mobility-based measurements and separations with high-performance quadrupole, time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
Synapt HDMS systems enable researchers to differentiate molecules by size, shape and charge, as well as mass, and to deliver increased specificity and sample definition beyond that achievable by conventional mass spectrometers.
Recently, Swedish-based biotechnology firm Medivir chose the Synapt HDMS system to hasten its drug discovery efforts in the area of protease inhibitor research and eventually help patients who suffer with herpes, hepatitis C, HIV, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and high blood pressure.
"The sensitivity of this instrument is significantly greater than the average quadrupole time-of-flight instrument and gives us more complete metabolic profiles," says Kurt Benkestock, senior research scientist, analytical chemistry department, who supports many of Medivir's research efforts.
"At one time, we relied on outside resources to give us the information we needed.
"Now with the Synapt HDMS, we can acquire the data we need in house and move candidates into advanced development phases faster".
Additionally, the University of Leeds Astbury Centre for structural molecular biology has published the results of protein research conducted with its newly-acquired Synapt HDMS System in the Journal of the American Society of Mass Spectrometry.
Researchers at Leeds describe the successful separation and analysis of various folded forms of the proteins cytochrome c and beta-2-microglobulin, an achievement the Ashcroft Laboratory hopes will lead to a more complete understanding of the biological processes responsible for amyloid fibril formation, bacterial pilus aggregation and virus capsid assembly - all associated with debilitating diseases including Alzheimer's, Creuzfeldt-Jakob's, and Parkinson's disease.
Finally, the University of California, Davis, recently announced that it is currently using the Synapt HDMS system to study eukaryotic translation, the process by which messenger RNA is translated into proteins within the human 40S ribosome, to better understand how infectious diseases like hepatitis C and polio are transferred to humans.