Waters Introduces Two New Mass Spectrometers at ASMS 2010

Waters Corporation introduces two new mass spectrometers for its Xevo MS platform, the Xevo TQ-S and Xevo G2 QTof, that bring a step change in performance to benchtop mass spectrometry. The product introductions were made at the 58th annual meeting of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS).

The Xevo TQ-S and Xevo G2 QTof are the newest members of the Xevo family of benchtop mass spectrometers first introduced in 2008 and are the most powerful mass spectrometers in their class. Combined with Waters' ACQUITY UltraPerformance LC (UPLC) Systems these mass spectrometers offer scientists an unequalled combination of separations power with highest levels of sensitivity whether for compound identification, quantification, and screening, or for extracting the most information from the smallest sample volumes all in a single analysis.

Said Brian Smith, V.P. Mass Spectrometry Operations, Waters Division, "With today's announcements, Waters has firmly established its leadership position in high-performance mass spectrometry. The new features and innovations scientists will find in our new Xevo mass spectrometers, more than anything else, are intended to deliver results. As they have told us time and again, that's what really counts."

At a press conference today, Waters global Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Dr. Rohit Khanna, remarked, "Our customers have told us they want high-quality, high-impact results faster, and with less effort. These new additions to our Xevo family of mass spectrometers mean we can deliver applications-specific UPLC/MS/MS systems that can help them achieve their scientific and business objectives and put answers to complex challenges within easy reach."

Waters expects to begin shipping the Xevo G2 QTof system in June and the Xevo TQ-S system in September.

Waters Xevo TQ-S Mass Spectrometer

The Waters Xevo TQ-S tandem mass spectrometer represents a step change in targeted quantitative UPLC/Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) analysis. This system is capable of accurately measuring target compounds in complex samples at femtogram levels or below. The Xevo TQ-S is designed for UPLC/MS/MS applications such as biological and medical research, bioanalysis, food safety, environmental monitoring and forensics testing where speed, sensitivity, and accuracy are of paramount importance.

The Xevo TQ-S features new StepWave ion-transfer technology, a revolutionary off-axis design for dramatically increasing the efficiency of ion transfer from the ion source to the quadrupole MS analyzer while at the same time actively eliminating undesirable neutral contaminants. This gives the Xevo TQ-S impressive class-leading sensitivity. When compared to earlier generation mass spectrometer models the chromatographic peak areas are typically more than 30 times bigger and the signal-to-noise ratios are typically 5 to 10 times better.

The novel, high speed transfer optics and collision cell design allows the TQ-S system to acquire both full scan MS and MRM data simultaneously on narrow, 1-2 second wide UPLC peaks and still obtain >12 points across the peak, something that is particularly useful in methods development when dealing with a complex matrix, for monitoring for the presence of new components in the sample during routine analysis or troubleshooting an assay.

With the Xevo TQ-S mass spectrometer, scientists can now confidently quantify compounds at lower concentrations than previously possible. The instrument's sensitivity also allows scientists to consider diluting samples in order to reduce matrix effects that interfere with compound measurements. They can also work with smaller sample volumes, a big benefit when analyzing precious biological samples taken from animals or humans.

Waters Xevo G2 QTof Mass Spectrometer

Xevo G2 QTof is a next-generation benchtop exact mass MS/MS mass spectrometer and is the first Xevo time-of-flight mass spectrometer to feature Waters QuanTof technology, currently only available with Waters SYNAPT G2 MS and G2 HDMS Mass Spectrometers. This technology brings research-grade quantitative and qualitative analytical performance to research, academic, and industrial laboratories. QuanTof technology can extend the dynamic range of previous generation Xevo QTof systems to greater than four orders of magnitude and results in much higher mass resolution (20,000 FWHM) for greater efficiency and productivity in the laboratory.

Combined with Waters ACQUITY UPLC System, the Xevo G2 QTof leverages the power of UPLC/MSE, a simple, patented, method of data acquisition that comprehensively catalogs complex samples in a single analysis. This gives scientists a comprehensive digital record of the sample that can be re-interrogated at will, eliminating the need to re-analyze the sample which scientists often have to do when, for example, using labeled approaches of 'data directed' protein quantification.

The Xevo G2 QTof is designed for labs driven by the need to produce accurate quantitative and qualitative information on increasingly large numbers of samples when doing intact protein analysis, peptide mapping, oligonucleotide analysis, metabolite identification, metabolite profiling, proteomics experiments, and food safety screening.

"The Xevo G2 QTof outperforms in many aspects," says Dr. George Keenan of SASA, Edinburgh, Scotland, a scientist who has developed sub-ten minute UPLC/MS/MS methods for surveillance monitoring of as many as 160 different pesticides in fruits and vegetables and whose laboratory is one of the highest ranking in Europe on proficiency tests administered by the European Union Community Reference Labs Survey. Its resolution and precision is significantly superior to earlier generation quadrupole time-of-flight instruments and it has the sensitivity our lab requires for analyzing foods for compliance monitoring with EU regulations."