SMEs to gain access to latest spectrometry tech through Medicines Discovery Catapult team-up

A new partnership between Medicines Discovery Catapult and manufacturer Waters Corporation is set to bring cutting-edge spectrometry technologies to SMEs in the UK.

Through the partnership SMEs working with Medicines Discovery Catapult will have access to brand-new mass spectrometry technologies which are not fully commercially available.

Mass spectrometry technologies help drive the development of medicines discovery through richer decision-making data. Using the technology, manufacturers can detect and measure many molecules simultaneously to generate biological fingerprints and understand how cells and tissues respond to drug treatment.

The partnership will expand Medicines Discovery Catapult’s current mass spectrometry offering through Waters’ innovative tools and R&D expertise.

Medicines Discovery Catapult will be enabled to improve the performance and sensitivity of existing platforms through access to Waters’ pre-commercial technologies, bringing their benefits to UK SMEs much earlier than would otherwise be possible.

Medicines Discovery Catapult will also work collaboratively with Waters’ scientists to generate real-world data sets and case studies to influence progression and advancements of the new pre-commercial and beta phase technologies, ensuring they are optimised to benefit the field of drug discovery.

Dr Peter Simpson, chief scientific officer of Medicines Discovery Catapult, said: “We are committed to providing UK drug discovery innovators with access to the latest cutting-edge technologies. Medicines Discovery Catapult has already established a high-quality mass spectrometry capability within our labs. This strategic partnership with Waters strengthens our laboratory capabilities and supports our ambition to deploy truly state-of-the-art mass spectrometry as a key platform, to make drug discovery faster and more efficient.”

Director of Health Science at Waters Corporation, James Langridge added: “Waters Corporation has supported Medicines Discovery Catapult since their inception. Today, we are very excited to enter into this latest agreement to enable MDC’s customer to access Waters’ proprietary mass spectrometry technologies, including direct from sample mass spectrometry solutions. In return, we hope to gain new insights from the UK’s burgeoning pharmaceutical innovators as they tackle today’s and tomorrow’s analytical and therapeutic challenges to address unmet patient needs.”