Bruker Daltonics, Nanosys Team for Mass Spectrometry R&D

Life sciences tool maker Bruker Daltonics Inc. of Billerica, Mass., and Palo Alto, Calif.-based nanotechnology company Nanosys Inc. announced a broad research and development collaboration and distribution agreement between the two companies involving Nanosys' matrix-free target plates -- known as Capture and Analyze Naldi chips -- used primarily with Bruker's Flex series of laser desorption ionization (LDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers. Nanosys said Naldi chips make it easier to analyze small molecules such as drug compounds, small peptides, pesticides or other low-mass molecules than the typical analysis method of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The companies will collaborate on R&D related to the Naldi chips, as well as on applications and assay development. Potential applications for the chips include chemistry and molecular biology research, molecular diagnostics and molecular imaging research, pharma/biotech and other industrial research and analysis, as well as many applied fields, such as food analysis, environmental analysis and toxicology. Nanosys will manufacture and exclusively supply Naldi chips for Bruker LDI-TOF mass spectrometers, while Bruker will market and distribute the chips worldwide. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.