Cerno unveils breakthroughs in accurate small molecule and unknown compound identification at ASMS 2025
New data reveals how Cerno’s universal mass spectrometry software delivers near-HRMS performance, transforming confidence in compound identification
2 Jun 2025Product news
At the American Society of Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Annual Meeting in Baltimore, USA, Cerno is presenting new data that demonstrate significant improvements in the accuracy of unknown compound and trace ion identification. The Cerno team is sharing these results, demonstrating its MassWorks and GC/ID software, and meeting with mass spectrometry professionals to explain how these advances improve speed, accuracy, and accessibility for laboratories across life sciences, environmental testing, consumer goods, and chemical and material sciences.
Advancing mass spectrometry accuracy on widely available instruments
Cerno’s latest findings address a longstanding challenge in mass spectrometry by removing the traditional tradeoff between speed, accuracy, and accessibility. The company’s software delivers high mass accuracy and spectral fidelity on widely available instruments, including unit-resolution mass spectrometers.
By enabling advanced unknown compound and trace ion identification without the need for specialized or high-cost equipment, Cerno’s solutions make high-confidence analysis more practical for a broader range of laboratories. This supports faster, more reliable decision-making in applications such as drug development, diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and quality control.
Poster session: Combining high and low-resolution data for confident unknown identification
In collaboration with the University of Connecticut, Cerno is presenting a workflow that combines high-resolution mass accuracy with low-resolution spectral accuracy in a single LC/MS run. Using MassWorks®, the team achieved unique elemental composition identification in all 26 test compounds, a result that was not possible using high-resolution data alone.
By leveraging the strengths of both high and low-resolution scan types, this approach reduces ambiguity in compound identification and enables more definitive unknown ID on standard mass spectrometry systems. This makes high-confidence results more accessible and cost-effective for laboratories that rely on conventional LC/MS platforms.
Poster session: Bringing high-accuracy trace ion analysis to unit-resolution IC-MS
In a joint study with Metrohm and Agilent, Cerno is demonstrating how its MassWorks® software significantly improves quantification and trace ion identification on unit-resolution ion chromatography–mass spectrometry (IC-MS) systems. Researchers achieved mass accuracy better than 0.006 Da and spectral accuracy greater than 98.5%, allowing clear separation of overlapping signals even in the presence of complex interferences.
This enhanced performance enables more reliable detection of contaminants such as perchlorate and improves precision in pharmaceutical and environmental testing workflows. Importantly, these gains are achieved without requiring high-end, high-resolution instrumentation, helping laboratories maximize the value of their existing IC-MS systems.
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Frequently asked questions
How is Cerno improving unknown compound and trace ion identification on widely available mass spectrometry instruments?
Cerno is demonstrating that its MassWorks and GC/ID software can deliver high mass accuracy and spectral fidelity on widely available, including unit-resolution, mass spectrometers. By removing the traditional tradeoff between speed, accuracy, and accessibility, these tools enable advanced unknown compound and trace ion identification without specialized or high-cost equipment. This makes high-confidence analysis more practical for laboratories working in life sciences, environmental testing, consumer goods, and material sciences.
What did Cerno and the University of Connecticut show about combining high- and low-resolution LC/MS data for unknown identification?
In collaboration with the University of Connecticut, Cerno presented a workflow that combines high-resolution mass accuracy with low-resolution spectral accuracy in a single LC/MS run using MassWorks®. This approach achieved unique elemental composition identification for all 26 test compounds, which was not possible using high-resolution data alone. By leveraging both high- and low-resolution scan types, the workflow reduces ambiguity in compound identification and enables more definitive unknown ID on standard LC/MS systems, making high-confidence results more accessible and cost-effective.
How does Cerno’s MassWorks software enhance trace ion analysis on unit-resolution IC-MS systems in environmental and pharmaceutical testing?
In a joint study with Metrohm and Agilent, Cerno showed that MassWorks® significantly improves quantification and trace ion identification on unit-resolution ion chromatography–mass spectrometry (IC-MS) systems. Researchers achieved mass accuracy better than 0.006 Da and spectral accuracy greater than 98.5%, enabling clear separation of overlapping signals even in complex matrices. This enhanced performance supports more reliable detection of contaminants such as perchlorate and improves precision in pharmaceutical and environmental testing workflows, without requiring high-end, high-resolution instrumentation.