NEW YORK, Oct. 31 – Swedish proteomics company Biacore and mass spectrometer developer Bruker Daltonics said Wednesday they had agreed to combine their technologies in an effort to develop a new proteomics system.
Under the terms of the deal, Uppsala-based Biacore will contribute its surface plasmon resonance technology and Bruker Daltonics of Billerica, Mass., will offer its mass spectrometry capabilities for a new platform to be known as SPR-MS.
SPR, which works by combining microfluidics on a sensor-based chip, is used to analyze the function of proteins and to investigate protein-protein interactions. In addition, the system can purify samples for mass spectrometry studies to identify and characterize the proteins.
“By adding functional data from Biacore to the molecular identification and characterization data obtained from Bruker Daltonics' MS systems, we hope to initiate a radical new approach for functional proteomics studies," Clive Seymour, head of Biacore’s life science research business, said in a statement.
Michael Schubert, European director of research and development at Bruker Daltonics, said: "By integrating the SPR-MS systems and the complementary information they generate, we aim to add the unique functional information obtained using Biacore's SPR technology to proteomics databases, allowing users to correlate functional information with the identification and characterization data obtained from mass spectrometry."
The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal or say when the new system would be launched commercially.