ASMS Seattle: interest in MS continues unabated.

The 54th American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics took place at the Washington State & Trade Center in Seattle, Washington from May 28 to June 1. Despite the unfortunate practice of having the meeting take place over the Memorial Day holiday, it was an unqualified success by any measure. Hordes of visitors were immersed in mass spectrometry and vendor hospitality starting on Saturday, two days before the conference began, with the conference, exhibit and user meetings going full speed from Monday onward until the closing event on Thursday evening.

Attendance was up again this year, growing 11%, and represented an unparalleled expansion of genuine interest year after year regardless of location or measures of business confidence. The 6,394 ASMS attendees almost matched the number of Starbucks coffee shops in the US, and the 148 exhibitors at ASMS, up 4% from 2005, did exceed the number of Starbucks in Seattle, but not by much.

In addition to the excellent technical program, user meetings, workshops and lunchtime seminars, there was the usual plethora of new product introductions, which in no small way keeps the enthusiasm at a fever pitch. The following is a brief rundown of those new products of which IBO took note:

Agilent Technologies introduced extensive new range of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometers (LC/MS) at ASMS this year, covering its strong traditional single quadruple market, as well as entering both the triple quadrupole and quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) MS markets (see IBO 1/31/06). A major point amongst all of Agilent's new and current LC/ MS systems is the commonality of many of their components, which is dearly demonstrated when the various models are viewed side-by-side, as well as in all new model numbers, which are all 6000 series instruments. Agilent also introduced new accessories and expanded several of its current LC/MS product lines.

Agilent's new single quadrupole MS product line consists of four models of the 6100 series. Each of the three lower-end models is upgradeable to the 6140 top-end model, which is configured specifically to operate with Agilent's high-speed 1200 HPLC. Prices for the single quadrupole models range from $85,000 to $100,000 and shipments will begin in September.

As detailed by IBO earlier this year, Agilent entered two new mass spectrometry markets this year with its 6410 triple quadrupole LC/MS and its 6510 Q-TOF LC/MS. Both models utilize Agilent's new axial acceleration collision cell, which helps to maintain ion energy and velocity through the cell, which can be lost due to collisions. The 6410 triple quadrupole LC/MS is priced starting at $205,000, and the 6510 Q-TOF LC/MS is priced starting at $460,000, both without a LC. Agilent also upgraded its 6210 LC-TOF MS system and expanded its 6300 series ion trap LC/MS systems by adding the 6340 LC/MS, which incorporates electron transfer dissociation (ETD) capabilities.

New accessories from Agilent for LC/MS introduced at the show included the 3100 OFFGEL Fractionator and GeneSpring MS software analysis platform. Available July I and co-developed with DiagnoSwiss SA, the OFFGEL Fractionator fractionates intact proteins and peptides by isoelectric point and can run samples in parallel. GeneSpring MS software can import, store and visualize GC/MS and LC/MS data and can exchange data with GeneSpring GX gene expression software and GeneSpring GT genotyping software. It will be available in the third quarter.

Applied Biosystems and MDS Sciex introduced two new software platforms at ASMS. They introduced Cliquid software for food testing applications. It is available with either the API 3200 triple quadrupole LC/ MS/MS or 3200 Q Trap hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap LC/MS/ MS or as a stand-alone software. It will be available starting In July. The companies also launched Lightsource Software for Metabolite Identification for use with the 4000 Q Trap hybrid triple quadruple linear ion trap LC/ MS/MS as well as Applied Biosystems/MDS Sdex's other hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap LC/ MS/MS systems and their triple quadrupole MS systems.

Although Bruker Daltonics did not introduce any completely new mass spectrometry systems at ASMS, having done so at Pittcon instead (see /BO 3/31/06), the company did intro duce several new and upgraded software packages, extended its ICPL product line and announced an improved magnet system for its FT-MS instruments. In the area of software, Bruker introduced the WARP-LC 1.1 software package, which is a data analysis suite designed specifically for quantitative proteomics packages. In addition to Bruker's own ICPL labeling chemistries, WARPLC is also compatible with other labeling chemistries, such as iTRAQ and ICAT. Bruker also unveiled version 2.1 of its ClinPro Tools and version 2.0 of its flexImaging software packages, which allow end-users to merge statistical analysis from MALDI-TOF profiling spectra with molecular imaging maps.

Bruker Daltonics extended its Isotope Coded Protein Labels (ICPL) labeling chemistries with the release of the SERVA ICPL Triplex kit, in conjunction with SERVA Electrophoresis GmbH. The new triplex kit allows quantitative analysis of three independent proteomes simultaneously. Bruker also announced a new 15-Tesla refrigerated magnet addition to its R-series magnets for FT-MS. The new magnet has a smaller footprint, eliminates the need for liquid nitrogen and reduces the need for cryogenic helium fills to once per year, all of which significantly reduces the operation costs and hazards traditionally associated with FTMS systems.

Shimadzu launched the AximaTO[F.sup.2], a tandem MALDI-TOF system. Although Shimadzu's Kratos Analytical group also developed this addition to the Axima line, the system is being formally launched through Shimadzu

Biotech. Major features of the AximaTO[F.sup.2] include high energy collision induced dissociation (20 KeV) and low mass zoom functions, allowing the user to focus on the low mass region in MS/MS analyses. The system is priced starting at $350,000 and is expected to begin shipping by the end of June. Shimadzu also announced an upgrade of its QP-2010 GC/MS to the QP-2010 Plus, which has an extended mass range of 1.5-1090 mass-to-charge (m/z).

Thermo Electron upgraded and extended several of its current product lines at this year's ASMS meeting. The company introduced upgraded versions of both its LTQ-FT, the LTQ-FT Ultra, and its core LTQ ion trap instrument, the LTQ XL. The LTQ-FT Ultra uses a redesigned ion cyclotron resonance cell, which helps the instrument achieve a claimed dynamic range of better than 4,000 and a resolution of over 1,000,000. The primary improvement in the LTQ XL is the addition of ETD, which extends the range of dissociation options on the system. Both the LTQ-FT Ultra and LTQ XL are already shipping and are priced similarly to the original systems.

Thermo Electron extended its TSQ Quantum line of triple quadrupole LCMS with the TSQ Quantum Access, which is an entry-level system that has a mass range of 30-3000 m/z and is targeted at the food and environmental markets. It is priced starting at $200,000. Thermo also introduced a newly revamped high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry option (FAIMS) for its TSQ Quantum triple quad MS. It is based on the technology it acquired from its 2005 purchase of Ionalytics (see/BO 8/15/05) and is priced at $75,000. The new FAIMS acts as a filtering device and is targeted at bioanalysis applications. Thermo also introduced the Accela system, its entry into the fast HPLC market. The Accela is designed to operate at both conventional HPLC pressures as well as at pressures of up to 15,000 psi, which Thermo refers to at U-HPLC. The Accela is priced starting at $60,000 and is expected to begin shipping by the end of July.

Waters introduced two new mass spectrometers at ASMS: the Acquity TQD triple quadrupole LC/MS; and the Synapt HDMS, which is a variant of Q-TOF mass spectrometry. As the name would imply, the Aquity TQD is designed specifically to be used with Waters' Aquity UPLC, which necessitates higher speeds of analysis. The TQD uses Waters' ZSpray LC-MS interface and includes Waters' new T-Wave collision cell design, which helps the system achieve higher speeds of analysis. Waters' IntelliStart is also included in the design, which provides an automated system set-up, further improving ease of use. The Aquity TQD is priced starting at $225,000 and is expected to ship in the third quarter.

Waters' biggest product news was its introduction of the Synapt HDMS, which the company refers to as a high definition mass spectrometer. The Synapt is a Q-TOF with Triwave technology, which adds three traveling wave devices prior to the mass analyzers. These traveling wave devices trap and separate the ions based on ion mobility, which can differentiate ions that have the same m/z ratio. This effectively adds another dimension of differentiation to the overall system. To be priced starting at $650,000, the Synapt is expected to begin shipping in the fourth quarter.

Next year, ASMS will be in Indianapolis, Indiana, from June 3 to June 7, so, thankfully, we can all enjoy the Memorial Day holiday eating hot dogs, drinking beer and watching high technology machines racing to the finish line before going to Indianapolis to experience the same sensation.

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