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Labcyte Collaborating with AstraZeneca on Acoustic Sample Handling for Mass Spec Analysis

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Labcyte said today that it is collaborating with AstraZeneca on applying its acoustic liquid handling technology to mass spec-based drug discovery work.

The collaboration will focus on using Labcyte's technology for direct loading of samples into mass spectrometers, which, the company said, could enable high-throughput, low-cost, label-free mass spec analyses. AstraZeneca aims via the project to expand such mass spec analyses throughout its entire drug discovery and development process.

Mass spec is commonly used in drug development for applications including the quantitation of drugs in screening assays, drug metabolism studies, and safety and efficacy work. Acoustic dispensing of test samples can streamline the workflows behind these activities, reducing the potential for sample handling errors and contamination while also increasing capacity and lowering costs, Labcyte said.

"Combining acoustic delivery with mass spectrometry has the potential to open up new areas of science through transformational improvements in sampling rates and reductions in sampling volumes," Mike Snowden, AstraZeneca's vice president of discovery science, said in a statement.

Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

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