Thermo Announces New Additions to Proteomics<SUP>n</SUP> Product Suite

Thermo Electron Corporation announces an array of significant new products for its industry-leading Proteomicsⁿ application suite. These include the LTQ XL™ linear ion trap and LTQ FT™ Ultra mass spectrometers along with comprehensive software packages such as MALDI Tissue Imaging, SIEVE™, BioWorks™ 3.3, and ProSightPC™.

Thermo’s new LTQ XL linear ion trap features Pulsed Q Dissociation (PQD), rapid positive/negative switching capabilities and High Resolution Isolation (HRI) scanning capabilities. This strengthens the proven protein detection and characterization capabilities of the LTQ platform. The LTQ XL has the added benefit of an Electron Transfer Dissociation (ETD) option, taking advantage of the huge ion storage capacity and fast cycle time of Thermo’s linear ion trap.

Ken Miller, proteomics marketing manager for Thermo, stated, "The ability to use CID (collision induced dissociation), PQD, and ETD interchangeably enables the LTQ XL to address the advanced application needs of proteomics researchers. Additionally, Thermo’s optional vMALDI ion source and Orbitrap or FT detectors make the LTQ XL the universal proteomics platform of choice.”

Further extending the proteomics suite, the new LTQ FT Ultra includes a patented ICR cell, which delivers approximately five times more sensitivity and offers a wider dynamic range and ultra-high resolution, all on an LC timescale. The new ICR cell design, together with improvements in detection, allows for routine attomole sensitivity and a dynamic range in excess of 4000 while achieving sub-ppm mass accuracy.

Thermo also unveils several advanced software packages including SIEVE, BioWorks 3.3, Tissue Imaging and ProSightPC.

• SIEVE is a label-free differential expression analysis software for biomarker discovery, offering an automated workflow to compare LC/MS analyses from large sample populations. It is a highly accurate tool for analyzing data from biomarker discovery experiments.
• BioWorks 3.3 software brings an important quantitative dimension to proteomic analysis, providing tools for automated analysis of iTRAQ™ labeled samples, as well as SILAC and metabolic labeling experiments. Additionally, the software allows for easy interoperability with Mascot™ from Matrix Science, UK. Users will be able to launch searches on their Mascot server from BioWorks 3.3 and compare SEQUEST® and Mascot search results.
• Tissue Imaging software adds a vital new capability for determining the spatial distribution of small molecules or peptide compounds of interest. This powerful technique is now available for the Finnigan LTQ XL with the vMALDI source option.
• ProSightPC is a first-ever automated top-down protein analysis software. Using all combinations of CID, ECD and IRMPD data from the LTQ FT Ultra, the software is able to completely identify and characterize intact protein isoforms.

"ASMS 2006 was the most impressive that I can recall in terms of the sheer depth and breadth of exciting new mass spectrometry products being brought to market by Thermo,” stated Lester Taylor, global product marketing director, Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry. He continued, "We are proud to deliver on our goal to provide thoroughly integrated solutions for all major proteomics applications."

For more information on Thermo’s Proteomicsⁿ solutions, call +1 800-532-4752, click 'request more info' or view the article webpage.