SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Agilent Technologies Inc. has signed a co-marketing agreement with Picometrics Technologies to provide biopharmaceutical customers with combined solutions for capillary electrophoresis (CE), laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection and mass spectrometry.
In addition to classic CE-LIF analysis technology, this collection of tools provides the only online CE-LIF-MS solution available today, the company stated in a news release. The platform’s principal application is for the research and development of complex large-molecule biopharmaceutical compounds.
“We are very pleased to extend a long-standing and fruitful partnership with Agilent and consolidate our development strategy,” said Jean Charles Garcia, president of Picometrics. “This unique technological platform using our new-generation LIF detection will significantly increase efficiency for biotherapeutic characterization in research, development and quality control.”
“We are excited to collaborate with Picometrics and provide this unique product offering to the biopharmaceutical industry—particularly those focusing on the research and development of new biological entities,” said Michael Frank, Agilent marketing director, liquid phase separations. “As conventional drug research becomes outmoded in meeting the increasing demands of complex, large-molecule drug development, scientists need highly sophisticated tools like these to advance therapeutic discovery.”
Capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled to laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection offers a highly specific method with exceptional sensitivity for analytical questions common to biopharmaceutical research and production. Typical application examples include analysis of proteins, peptides or glycans. Detectors from Picometrics Technologies can be combined with the Agilent 7100 CE seamlessly to provide a highly flexible CE-LIF solution for a wide range of applications.
Due to the fiber optics approach used by Picometrics detectors, LIF analysis can also be combined online with any commercial Agilent CE/MS setup to deliver CE-LIF-MS data. This option is the only commercial available setup to grant online LIF and MS detection within a few centimeters of CE capillaries, offering direct comparison of LIF and MS traces. It also combines the power of high-sensitive LIF detection with identification or structure analysis of known and unknown compounds delivered by mass spectrometry.
A number of Agilent products can be combined with Picometrics ZETALIF LED and ZETALIF LASER instruments, including Agilent’s capillary electrophoresis and CE/MS technologies, as well as HPLC/UHPLC solutions.
Picometrics Technologies is an analytical instrumentation company, headquartered in Labège, France, which manufactures and sells a range of LIF detectors and LEDIF (LED-induced fluorescence) detectors. The company has established a long-standing reputation in high-precision fluorescence detection by employing a unique technology incorporating a number of innovative developments. The detectors are commonly employed in R&D and quality control laboratories in pharmaceutical companies, research institutes and universities in Europe, North America and Asia.
The LIF and LEDIF detectors are coupled to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC – fast LC, capillary LC and nano LC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation systems to determine the concentration of a compound in a complex micro sample. The detectors are capable of detecting exceedingly small levels, typically nano molar (10-9) and pico molar (10-12) of the compound of interest.
Picometrics provides the market with a unique offering of detectors covering a large range of wavelengths from UV to visible to quantify fluorescent compounds as well as derivatives. The company can assist the analysts in the development of separation and derivatization methods.
The detectors are employed in a broad range of applications including the analysis of amino acids, homocystein and cystein, peptides , biogenic amines, proteins/oligoproteins, sugars, alcohols/thiols, organic acids, pesticides and aromatic pollutants.
Agilent Technologies Inc. is widely regarded as one of the world’s premier measurement company and a technology leader in chemical analysis, life sciences, diagnostics, electronics and communications. The company’s 20,600 employees serve customers in more than 100 countries. Agilent had revenues of $6.8 billion in fiscal 2013.
On Sept. 19, 2013, Agilent announced plans to separate into two publicly traded companies through a tax-free spinoff of its electronic measurement business. The new company is named Keysight Technologies, Inc. The separation is expected to be completed in early November 2014.
