Product News: Waters Introduces Xevo G2-XS QTof and Xevo TQ-S micro Mass Spectrometers, Taking Benchtop Quantitative and Qualitative MS Applications to New Levels

Waters Corporation has introduced two new Xevo® mass spectrometers and expanded the ionKey/MS System at the 62nd conference of the American Society of Mass Spectrometry (ASMS). The Waters® Xevo G2-XS mass spectrometer, a new high performance benchtop quadrupole time-of-flight (QTof™) mass spectrometer, and the Xevo TQ-S micro, a new and compact benchtop tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer, take benchtop quantitative and qualitative applications to new levels.

Waters also announced the expansion of the ionKey/MS™ System to the SYNAPT® G2-S, SYNAPT G2-Si, Xevo G2-S QTof and the newly-introduced Xevo G2-XS QTof micro mass spectrometer with new UPLC® grade iKeyTM chemistries.

Additionally, Waters unveiled Progenesis® QI for proteomics Version 2.0, the latest advance in proteomics data analysis software, availability of Omics LLC’s PetroOrg Petroleomics Software on the SYNAPT G2-Si for chemical composition characterization of petroleum and the exclusive rights to Prosolia's DESI (Desorption Electrospray Ionization) technology for clinical research applications for use with Waters' time-of-flight mass spectrometers.

Xevo G2-XS QTof Mass Spectrometer

Featuring the new XS Collision Cell, the Xevo® G2-XS mass spectrometer stands alone among its peers in offering uncompromised analytical sensitivity and selectivity in a benchtop QTof mass spectrometer. Shipment of Xevo G2-XS QTof to customer laboratories is expected to begin at the end of the second quarter with MassLynx® software and in the fourth quarter under the UNIFI® Scientific Information System.

“The technology embodied in the Xevo G2-XS benefits laboratory analysis in a number of ways. Most importantly, laboratories now have a dependable option for performing qualitative and quantitative experiments for both known and unknown analytes with a benchtop QTof instrument,” said Brian Smith, Vice President – Mass Spectrometry Operations, Waters Division.

The Xevo G2-XS QTof mass spectrometer combines the new XS Collision Cell with the proven, signature technologies of Tof-MRM, StepWaveTM and QuanTof™ to deliver optimum levels of robust sensitivity and selectivity, resulting in the detection of more low-level compounds than ever before.
For targeted quantitative experiments, Tof-MRM mode delivers a 10-fold improvement in signal-to-noise when compared to full scan mode, resulting in limits of detection and quantification that completely redefine expectations for a benchtop high resolution mass spectrometer.

Xevo TQ-S micro Mass Spectrometer

The Waters Xevo TQ-S micro is designed to acquire sensitive, robust and dependable data at accelerated rates of acquisition for numerous analytes at varying concentrations. Waters intends to commence shipments of the Xevo TQ-S micro system in the third quarter.

“From a price to performance standpoint, the Xevo TQ-S micro is hard to beat. When you add it all up, Xevo TQ-S micro is the smallest, high-performance tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer on the market and is a great new choice for scientists working in food, environmental, pesticides, pharmaceutical bioanalysis and peptide screening,” said Gary Harland, Director – MS Product Management, Waters Division.

Featuring new Xtended Dynamic Range™ technology, the Xevo TQ-S micro mass spectrometer offers an impressive six orders of magnitude of linear dynamic range. This is important for quantifying compounds in samples where the concentrations of individual analytes differ greatly. Furthermore, the wider the operational dynamic range, the easier it is to transfer methods between instruments of differing sensitivities.

The Xevo TQ-S micro’s new Xcelerated Ion Transfer™ (XIT) electronics allow the instrument to acquire as many as 500 MRMs/sec without significantly reducing peak intensities, which no other tandem quadrupole instrument currently offers. This performance boost means that labs performing pesticide screening, drug, and peptide analyses can monitor for a wider range of analytes than ever before.

Xevo TQ-S micro exceeds expectations for a mass spectrometer of its compact size, offering significant enhancements in absolute sensitivity and signal-to-noise over entry-level tandem quadrupole instruments. Robustness testing has confirmed excellent reproducibility between many repeat injections over an extended time period, which is particularly important for laboratories that have built their reputation on fast turnaround times and accuracy.

Expansion of ionKey/MS System

First unveiled in March 2014 for use with the ACQUITY UPLC® M-Class System and Xevo TQ-S Mass Spectrometer, the ionKey/MS System is now available on the SYNAPT G2-S, SYNAPT G2-Si, Xevo G2-S QTof and the newly introduced Xevo G2-XS QTof mass spectrometer. The ionKey/MS expansion also includes new iKey chemistries, specifically HSS T3 (high strength silica) and BEH C4 (Bridged Ethyl Hybrid) 1.7 micron UPLC grade particles in five and ten centimeter pathlengths. When first introduced, the iKey featured C18, BEH 300, Å CSH (Charged Surface Hybrid) and C18 BEH 130 Å chemistries.

The Waters ionKey/MS System physically integrates a UPLC separation into the mass spectrometer producing a significant improvement in sensitivity, enabling scientists to achieve unparalleled separation and detection of compounds.

Early adopters of the ionKey/MS System are already reporting exceptional sensitivity, robustness and ease-of-use out of mass spectrometry for applications as far-ranging as bioanalyses and pharmacokinetic studies to food safety and environmental analyses.

In addition to the enhanced sensitivity, scientists praise the plug and play nature of ionKey/MS. Scientists no longer have to contend with delicate fittings and columns and concern themselves with extra column dispersion and the inevitable variability and band broadening that comes with it.

Progenesis QI for Proteomics

The Progenesis QI for proteomics Version 2.0 is the latest advance in proteomics data analysis software enabling more rapid and reliable quantification and identification of differentially changing proteins in laboratory samples than ever before. The release of Progenesis QI for proteomics Version 2.0 expands Waters’ suite of focused, world-leading informatics packages for 'omics data analysis.
The new features of Progenesis QI for proteomics Version 2.0 include Pathway Analysis, which aids the biological understanding of observed MS data; QC Metrics, which assesses LC-MS data quality to facilitate exclusion of sub-optimal measurements; and Process Automation, which eliminates the need to program repetitive steps to make analysis even faster. The new software now allows user-selectable HiN quantification of proteins, along with full HiN functionality for 2D-LC experiments.

Progenesis QI for proteomics Version 2.0 takes ‘omics-based data analysis to the next level by enabling users to rapidly quantify and identify differences between protein samples. It provides an easy-to-learn, intuitive process based on how researchers work, a flexible workflow and a highly visual interface to give the user confidence in their data.

PetroOrg Petroleomics Software

Now available for SYNAPT G2-Si, Omics LLC’s PetroOrg Petroleomics Software delivers time saving performance, enhanced results and comprehensive data for chemical composition characterization of petroleum.

Energy companies seek better analytical methodologies to determine crude oil’s economic value and the level of refining required to produce high-value products. However, the complexity of crude oils offers a significant challenge to analytical chemists. Processing, visualizing and interpreting the information rich mass spectral data has traditionally been a costly and time-consuming process.

Waters and Omics LLC now make it possible to effortlessly access and correlate accurate mass and ion mobility information derived from the Waters SYNAPT HDMS® for petroleum compounds. By bringing together Waters unique ion mobility-high resolution mass spectrometry platform with PetroOrg Petroleomics Software, analytical chemists can easily and quickly classify petroleum samples by chemical composition.

For more information about the petroleomics sample analysis solution from Waters and Omics LLC, please visit: www.waters.com/petroleomics

Exclusive Agreement for DESI Technology for Clinical MS Applications

Waters signed an agreement with Prosolia, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN) for the exclusive rights to DESI (Desorption Electrospray Ionization) technology for clinical research applications for use with Waters time-of-flight mass spectrometers, including its SYNAPT G2 Si and Xevo G2-XS QTof mass spectrometers.

When used for clinical research studies, DESI is a non-destructive means by which researchers using mass spectrometry can determine, with specificity and speed, the molecular distributions of drugs, lipids and metabolites from human tissue samples. Otherwise known as in vitro “tissue imaging”, it allows scientists to potentially distinguish healthy tissue from diseased tissue.

“By combining Prosolia’s DESI with Waters' time-of-flight mass spectrometers, we see the potential to advance clinical research in meaningful ways,” said Dr. Rohit Khanna, Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Informatics for the Waters Division. “This agreement with Prosolia is an important step in fulfilling our vision of improving human health by partnering with the biomedical community to make breakthrough scientific discoveries and translate them into healthcare solutions.”

A bottleneck in life science research is the time and expertise required for sample preparation. Tissue sample preparation can be a tedious process that often involves multiple steps, delaying the time to a result, decreasing productivity and increasing the probability for error. DESI eliminates this bottleneck by enabling direct, automated analysis of tissue samples thereby reducing the requirement for extensive sample preparation and enabling high throughput sample analysis. These capabilities translate into lower laboratory operational costs, streamlined workflows and faster results than traditional approaches.

“Waters is a natural choice for Prosolia to partner with to advance the DESI technology in the clinical research space,” said Dr. Justin Wiseman, Chairman, President & CEO of Prosolia. “Waters’ mass spectrometry technology and vision of a healthier future for humanity appealed to us on many levels and we are looking forward to a long and successful relationship.”