Shimadzu's new hybrid mass spectrometer secures prestigious award

COLUMBIA, MD, Oct. 5, 2005 -- Shimadzu Scientific Instruments Inc. (SSI), a leading U.S. developer of analytical instrumentation, announces that its newest mass spectrometer has received an R&D Magazine 2005 R&D 100 award. The new hybrid Ion Trap-Time-of-Flight (IT-TOF) instrument was selected as being a breakthrough technology and achieved the award in the Analytical Instruments category. Shimadzu's LCMS-IT-TOF is designed for a wide range of uses including biomarker studies, metabolomics, proteomics, metabolite identification, environmental analyses, forensics use, and homeland security functions.

Developed by a research team of scientists and engineers at Shimadzu Corp., Kyoto, Japan, the LCMS-IT-TOF instrument enables researchers to perform multiple levels of ion fragmentation with high mass accuracy. Specifically, the LCMS-IT-TOF - with more than a dozen issued and pending product technology patents - was designed to deal with the stringent requirements of identification of pharmaceutical impurities, natural products and metabolites.

Obtaining exact mass measurements with high sensitivity and with multiple levels of fragmentation is critical to taking the guesswork out of compound identification and speeding up analytical processes.

"This is the first ion trap-time-of-flight instrument for HPLC use that's widely available to researchers," noted Shigehiko Hattori, president and CEO of Shimadzu Corp. "We worked very hard to combine the best benefits of ion traps and time-of-flight mass spectrometers, and to have our rigorous research and development garner such a prestigious award is a real signal that our efforts were successful." The 2005 R&D 100 Awards will be presented at a black-tie event in Chicago, on Oct. 20.

The Shimadzu LCMS-IT-TOF maintains its high sensitivity by significantly improving control over the entire ion collection and ion transfer process. Major innovations in the design include improvements to collect more ions, compress ions more rapidly into the trap with high efficiency, and the efficient transfer of ions to the TOF (time-of-flight) portion of the instrument.

Coupling atmospheric pressure ionization with its IT (ion trap) and TOF technologies, the LCMS-IT-TOF delivers both high mass accuracy, and high mass resolution (>10,000 at 1,000 m/z). It is designed to maximize sensitivity and selectivity, and redefines the capabilities of the quadruple ion trap -- which not only supports high precursor ion selection and fragmentation of ions before ejection into the TOF, but also allows ballistic ion ejection into the TOF to minimize energy spread of ions exiting the trap.

In March 2005, the LCMS-IT-TOF also won the Silver Award for best new product at the Pittsburgh Conference (PittCon).

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments (www.ssi.shimadzu.com) is the American subsidiary of Shimadzu Corporation, headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1875, Shimadzu is a $2 billion multinational corporation with three major divisions: medical diagnostics, aerospace/industrial, and analytical instruments. The Analytical Instruments Division is one of the world's largest manufacturers of analytical instrumentation and environmental monitoring equipment. For over thirty years SSI has provided analytical solutions to laboratories in North, Central, and parts of South America. In the US, SSI has a network of over 50 locations providing local and regional sales, service, and technical support.

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