Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Waters Corporation Collaborate
MILFORD, Mass., Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Waters Corporation and Vanderbilt University Medical Center jointly announce collaborative research efforts using Waters(R) MALDI SYNAPT(TM) High Definition MS(TM) (HDMS(TM)) System for enhanced tissue imaging capabilities for oncology research within the University's Mass Spectrometry Research Center.
Researchers at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center are focused on novel mass spectrometry (MS) approaches to identify and visualize protein expression changes in cells as they transition from a healthy state through various stages of cancer.
"The goal of tissue imaging is to provide a window into the changes in the cellular proteome in disease," said Professor Richard Caprioli, Director of Mass Spectrometry Research Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "We look forward to evaluating the use of ion mobility for enhanced MALDI imaging combined with high resolution, high sensitivity, orthogonal time-of-flight (Tof) mass spectrometry. Ultimately, we hope that enhanced tissue imaging techniques will provide data sets to be mined for diagnostic and prognostic information related to the various stages of cancer."
The SYNAPT HDMS system is the only commercial instrument to incorporate high efficiency ion mobility separation in a dual ionization mass spectrometer giving scientists maximum analytical power for discovery research challenges.
"This Vanderbilt University collaboration is the latest example of how Waters works with leading researchers to push the limits of science," said Brian Smith, Vice President, Mass Spectrometry Operations for Waters Division. "By working with the preeminent research group in the field, we expect to derive significant insight into the power of MALDI tissue imaging for biological applications and its potential for diagnostic purposes; not to mention the potential positive impact from better understanding the cellular proteome of one of world's most devastating diseases."
Waters introduced the SYNAPT HDMS System at the American Society of Mass Spectrometry annual meeting in Seattle in June of 2006. It is the first commercially-available mass spectrometer with the ability to analyze ions by their size, shape and charge in addition to mass. Waters added MALDI- capability to the SYNAPT HDMS System in 2007 and at PITTCON(R) 2007, the Waters SYNAPT High Definition MS System received the PITTCON Editor's Gold Award as Best New Product as well as Instrument Business Outlook newsletter's top prize for best new product. For more information on Waters SYNAPT High Definition MS System, visit www.waters.com/HDMS.
About Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is home to the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, as well as four separate hospitals and a growing basic research enterprise.
Vanderbilt University Hospital, The Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, the Psychiatric Hospital at Vanderbilt and the Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital combined for over 46,000 inpatient admissions during fiscal year 2007. Vanderbilt's outpatient clinics combined to treat over 1.1 million patients during this same period.
The Vanderbilt School of Medicine placed 18th among 125 medical schools in U.S. News & World Report's 2008 survey, "America's Best Graduate Schools."
The Medical School's reputation for outstanding research is reflected in the amount of federal and private support it receives. The School of Medicine ranks 15th overall out of 125 medical schools in the receipt of funding from the National Institutes of Health. Support for competitive research grants was almost $390 million in fiscal year 2007.
About Waters Corporation (www.waters.com)
Waters Corporation creates business advantage for laboratory- dependent organizations by delivering practical and sustainable innovation to enable significant advancements in such areas as healthcare delivery, environmental management, food safety, and water quality worldwide.
Pioneering a connected portfolio of separations science, laboratory information management, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis, Waters technology breakthroughs and laboratory solutions provide an enduring platform for customer success.
With revenue of $1.47 billion in 2007 and 5,000 employees, Waters is driving scientific discovery and operational excellence for customers worldwide.
Waters, SYNAPT, SYNAPT HDMS, HDMS, High Definition MS, High Definition Mass Spectrometry are trademarks of Waters Corporation. Pittcon is a registered trademark of the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy.
Brian_J_Murphy@waters.comjohn.howser@vanderbilt.edu
CONTACT: Brian J. Murphy, Public Relations Manager of Waters Corporation,
+1-508-482-2614, Brian_J_Murphy@waters.com; or John Howser, Director of
Media Relations of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, +1-615-322-4747,
john.howser@vanderbilt.edu
Web site: http://www.waters.com/
http://www.waters.com/HDMS/