To empower scientists, researchers and laboratory professionals in Asia’s pharmaceutical industry on their journeys to deliver next generation vaccine and therapy, Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced new instruments, workflows, software, and industry collaborations.
As the biopharmaceutical industry continues to push the boundaries of science, Thermo Fisher Scientific is continuing to advocate for the use of new technologies, workflows, and stronger industry collaborations.
Among the newest innovations are those focused on improving each of the critical steps in an end-to-end mass spectrometry workflow. These innovations include new analytical instruments, consumables, workflows, and software solutions that enable leading-edge biological research that spans the molecular spectrum—from targeted and small molecule quantitation and advancements in high-throughput quantitative proteomics and bio-molecular characterisation to a revolution in intuitive, AI-driven software.
All of these are aimed at empowering scientists, researchers, and laboratory professionals to generate new analytical insights and accelerate next-generation vaccine and therapy development.
Professionals in proteomics and biopharmaceutical laboratories who are working in drug discovery and R&D applications need to unlock the ability to clearly decipher complex mixtures of large molecules with simultaneous charge detection for analysis of previously unmeasurable analytes.
As such, Thermo Fisher has added a new Thermo Scientific Direct Mass Technology mode for its Thermo Scientific Q Exactive UHMR Hybrid Quadrupole- Orbitrap mass spectrometers that lets manufacturers analyse the characteristics of biotherapeutics in greater detail throughout development. This development will enable laboratory professionals to improve material quantitation and accelerate biopharma development.
This is because the Direct Mass Technology mode augments the UHMR Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometers with charge detection capabilities, allowing direct mass determination of hundreds to thousands of individual ions in a single spectrum. As a result, laboratories can measure mass for complex heterogeneous mixtures of multiple charged components, unlocking new and rich insights into proteoforms, biotherapeutics and next-generation drug modalities.
For proteomics researchers, the Thermo Scientific AccelerOme Automated Sample Preparation Platform improves reproducibility in sample prep, a longstanding bottleneck preventing wider use in biomarker discovery for disease detection and research into new therapies.
Very simply put, the AccelerOme Automated Sample Preparation Platform eliminates the need for labour-intensive, manual sample preparation for LC-MS analysis, including the associated method development and reagent sourcing Automated sample preparation also overcomes the challenge of maintaining reproducibility with manual methodologies, and the new platform’s pre-built validated methods and kit format reagents further reduce any risk of user error.
A new Thermo Scientific μPAC Neo HPLC Column improves column-to-column reproducibility within proteomics and biopharmaceutical research applications as part of an end-to-end liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) workflow. This further simplifies complex bottom-up proteomics analyses, enabling wider use in the discovery and detection of cancer and other disease biomarkers, and the development of new therapies and vaccines ranging from COVID to cancer and rare diseases.
Essentially, the μPAC Neo HPLC column provides proteomics and biopharmaceutical research laboratories with a new micro-pillar array column as part of an end-to-end LC-MS workflow that will simplify complex bottom-up proteomics analyses, complete with a detailed startup protocol. This helps users accelerate their experimental setup with the reassurance of high-level performance across every component of the workflow.
Scientists in biopharmaceutical, proteomics, and small molecule settings can enable more comprehensive analysis of their data with the latest software updates. New features enable researchers to extract more information from their new and existing data, streamline data interpretation, and standardise reporting with increased ease of use.
The new cloud-based Thermo Scientific Ardia platform integrates data across multiple chromatography and mass spectrometry instruments, letting biopharmaceutical and proteomics scientists share previously siloed data, simplifying analyses and unlocking deeper insights into new diagnostics and therapies that could reach the point of care sooner.
New Thermo Scientific BioPharma Finder 5.1 software uses advanced algorithms to improve biotherapeutic characterisation, an increasing priority as industry and regulators build stricter quality controls into the production of complex new biotherapies and vaccines.
For proteomic scientists, Thermo Scientific Proteome Discoverer 3.0 software interprets data from Thermo Scientific Orbitrap mass spectrometers and applies artificial intelligence (AI), giving researchers a faster method to identify and analyse billions of possible protein interactions in humans, insights that accelerate discovery and development of next-generation drugs and vaccines.
Lastly, for forensic toxicologists, clinical research toxicologists, employee drug testing facilities and wellness organisations, expanding the Thermo Scientific Tox Explorer Collection onto the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris Mass Spectrometer platform, provides an all-in-one LC-MS toxicology solution to solve complex analytical challenges and increase laboratory productivity.
Thermo Fisher has entered a relationship with TransMIT GmbH Center for Mass Spectrometric Developments to promote a mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) platform for spatial multi-omics applications in pharmaceutical and clinical laboratories.
TransMIT will combine its proprietary scanning microprobe matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionisation (SMALDI) MSI and 3D-surface MSI technology with the exceptional high resolution accurate mass (HRAM) power of Thermo Scientific Orbitrap MS instrumentation.
TransMIT’s AP-SMALDI5 AF ion source coupled with Orbitrap MS technology enables spatial distribution mapping of a variety of molecules such as biomarkers, metabolites, peptides or enzymatically digested proteins by their molecular masses. This approach can be applied to omics applications such as metabolomics, lipidomics, proteomics, glycomics and to pharmaco-kinetic studies in a variety of tissues.
For more information, please visit: www.thermofisher.com/accelerome
Kapil Khullar is Senior Director, Growth Strategies and Application Excellence, Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry in Asia Pacific and Japan, Thermo Fisher Scientific. A veteran of 25 years in the analytical science industry, Dr. Khullar attained his PhD in analytical chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
