Collaboration harnesses QTrap 5500 MS to analyze metabolites in under three minutes.

AB Sciex is teaming up with scientists at the ETH Zurich Institute of Molecular Systems Biology as part of Switzerland’s metabolomics initiative, the Swiss Systems Biology Program. The work by ETH and AB Sciex aims to develop quantitative, broad-coverage high-throughput metabolomics approaches for systems biology based on the latter’s QTrap® 5500 mass spectrometry system. The goal is to develop a method that will cut the time taken to conduct quantitative analysis of metabolites from an hour to under three minutes.

“Our partnering with AB Sciex on new method development for metabolomics will drive the field of systems biology forward by addressing the need for more quantitative, comprehensive data that can be quickly obtained,” remarks Uwe Sauer, Ph.D., professor of systems biology at the ETH institute. “The AB Sciex technology gives us unique capabilities to get the best possible data in the shortest period of time that we can apply to make a major difference in systems biology and medical research. The new method we are currently developing could be used for any analysis of any biological system.”

AB Sciex is a Danaher Corporation business established from the former Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies joint-venture, following the takeover of MDS by Danaher in February. The firm’s QTrap 5500 system integrates triple quadrupole and linear accelerator trap technologies into a single platform, which it claims makes the platform ideal for metabolomics, proteomics, and lipidomics applications.

In May AB Sciex launched its TripleTOF 5600 System, which it says is the first single platform to combine the quantitative capabilities typically associated with triple quadrupoles and the qualitative capabilities of a high-resolution, accurate-mass system.

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