Bruker Daltonics Launches the Fastest & most Flexible MALDI-TOF/TOF Mass Spectrometer with Unsurpassed Performance in Proteomics

Bruker Daltonics today launches its next-generation ultrafleXtreme™ MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometer, the only instrument combining true 1 kHz speed in both TOF and TOF/TOF modes with ultra-high performance and extreme flexibility for a broad variety of complementary research, clinical and applied proteomics applications. In proteomics, MALDI-TOF/TOF is highly complementary to ESI-MS/MS with Bruker’s latest high-capacity ion traps with ETD, and to ultra-high resolution (UHR) ESI-Q-q-TOF maXis™ systems, as both MALDI and ESI are required for highest coverage and flexibility in modern protein analysis.

The new ultrafleXtreme incorporates key inventions, Bruker’s proprietary smartbeam-II™ laser technology at 1 kHz, and the latest ion optics innovations. It is the only MALDI-TOF/TOF instrument that truly enables high-throughput 1 kHz biomarker discovery and quantitation, as well as fast, high-performance tissue molecular imaging with a laser spot size close to single cell spatial resolution. LC-MALDI can be performed with unmatched mass resolution, mass accuracy and data acquisition speed. Bruker’s unique Edmass™ protein sequencing capabilities allow very rapid and sensitive intact protein characterization and sequencing with read lengths up to and beyond 80 residues, and with direct analysis of N- and C- terminal modifications.

Industry-leading TOF/TOF technology is incorporated into the ultrafleXtreme for unprecedented capabilities:

• The novel full 1 kHz smartbeam-II laser enables ultra-high data acquisition speed in both MS and MS/MS at full systems performance. The well-established proprietary smartbeam laser provides unprecedented analytical and matrix flexibility in workflows from protein tissue imaging, intact proteins analysis, biologics or oligo QC, to LC-MALDI proteomics - all fully enabled at 1-1000 Hz repetition rates.
• Broadband mass resolving power up to 40,000 enables precision proteomics via Bruker’s unique PAN™ technology for highest mass resolution across a very broad mass range, not just at a selected optimum.
• The novel FlashDetectorTM combined with a new 4 GHz digitizer and latest advances in electronics provide unmatched mass resolving power up to 40,000 and 1 ppm mass accuracy for highest confidence.
• Bruker’s patented smartbeam technology is already widely accepted as the most viable MALDI imaging laser technology. The ultrafleXtreme now enables laser focus diameters down to 10 µm for high spatial resolution imaging without pixel overlap. Importantly, outstanding spectral quality and signal intensity are maintained at even the smallest laser beam diameters.
• The novel and unique laser-irradiation self-cleaning MALDI Perpetual™ Ion Source ensures robust, long-term highest-performance operation. Very long MALDI laser lifetime in combination with automated source cleaning in just minutes leads to high uptime and low maintenance costs.

Efficient data retrieval and interpretation is provided by fully integrated software platforms designed, progressed and supported by Bruker with leading proteomics experts, for:

• ProteinScape™ 2.0 ensures confident information from quantitative studies using either label-free or ICPL™-4plex, SILAC, iTRAQ™-8plex or user-defined label technologies, integrates multiple datasets across large proteomic studies and generates reports in accordance to standard publication guidelines.
• BioTools™ 3.2 is the market-leading bioinformatics platform, now extended to top-down protein sequencing for recombinant protein work, e.g. in biotherapeutics and biosimilars characterization and QC.
• flexImaging™ 2.1 is the true gold standard in biomarker discovery based on MALDI tissue molecular imaging and is fully compatible with clinical histology.

Bruker Daltonics Executive Vice President Dr. Ian Sanders commented: “Its incredible flexibility and unparalleled performance make the truly innovative ultrafleXtreme the definitive MALDI-TOF/TOF today. Researchers are enabled for new achievements in proteomics and MALDI imaging, while achieving result quality across the board that would have been undreamed of even a short time ago.”

The capabilities of the new ultrafleXtreme™ will be highlighted at Bruker's Annual Users Meeting on Sunday, May 31st, 2009 before the 57th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry in Philadelphia, PA. For more information on this event, please visit www.bdal.com/asms2009. For further product information please visit www.bdal.com/ultrafleXtreme.

ultrafleXtreme, ProteinScape, PAN, smartbeam, FlashDetector, MALDI Perpetual, BioTools, ProteinScape, FlexImaging are trademarks of Bruker Daltonik GmbH. ICPL is a trademark of TopLab GmbH, and iTRAQ is a trademark of Applied Biosystems.

About Bruker Daltonics: For more information about Bruker Daltonics and Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR), please visit www.bdal.com and www.bruker.com.

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