AB SCIEX launches Eksigent ekspert nanoLC 400 system

Sep 10 2012

AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, today announced the launch of the Eksigent ekspert™ nanoLC 400 system. The new Eksigent system is the world's first plug-and-play liquid chromatography system that integrates nano LC and micro LC on the same platform, providing the broadest functionality with the benefits of both flow rate ranges. This flexibility enables fast and easy switching between high-sensitivity discovery proteomics and high-throughput targeted peptide quantitation commonly used in advanced biological studies. The ekspert nanoLC 400 system is on display at the HUPO conference in Boston this week.    

Discovery proteomics is a strategy in which an LC system in combination with a mass spectrometer is used to identify and quantify proteins in a global untargeted manner. Once a set of interesting proteins has been identified, targeted techniques are used to verify and validate the results in further sample types by targeted peptide quantitation.

The ultimate goal is to advance the understanding of systems biology by identifying new biomarkers or new proteins of interest and to potentially improve medical methodologies. The new Eksigent ekspert nanoLC 400 system improves the efficiency of these proteomics workflows by providing the highest separation quality and reliability.

The novel, interchangeable LC flow modules in the nanoLC 400 system allow scientists to quickly go from low flow nano LC to a higher flow rate of micro LC, with a simple switch of a module. This is ideal for mixing non-targeted and targeted approaches, especially when used with a next-generation mass spectrometer like the AB SCIEX TripleTOF^® 5600^± system. In addition, the retention time stability afforded by advances in microfluidic flow control (MFCPlus™ technology) is critical for quantitative applications such as Scheduled MRM^HR Workflow and SWATH™ Acquisition.

"Scientists want to do more with less," said Remco van Soest, Product Manager for the ekspert nanoLC 400 system at AB SCIEX. "Because the new ekspert nanoLC 400 system bridges the gap between low flow and higher flow rates in LC/MS workflows, laboratories no longer need separate LC systems to go from discovery to verification and validation in the protein biomarker research continuum. The plug-and-play functionality of the nanoLC system opens up new possibilities for biomedical and proteomics researchers."

The nanoLC 400 system is the only low-flow system that - when combined with the existing Eksigent cHiPLC^® system - enables highly reproducible proteomics across a broad range of workflows in busy multi-user, multi-instrument laboratories. The cHiPLC system is a chip-based platform that serves as a "docking station" for easy switching between different types of experiments, such as direct injection and trap-loading. With the new nanoLC 400 system, injections can now be done 5x to 10x faster with a higher precision autosampler for nano LC.

"The Eksigent nanoLC system enables me to go to a higher flow rate within the same system, when I need it, and that is a tremendous benefit," said Nick Morrice, Group Leader at the Beatston Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow, Scotland. "Nano LC with 75 um ID columns is great for thorough, detailed discovery, but it takes longer than I would like. Using microflow LC on my TripleTOF 5600 system with the 25 um ID hybrid electrode and the DuoSpray Source, my routine protein identifications using the same injection volume are three times faster than nano LC. The flexibility of being able to switch between nano LC and micro LC in minutes is really valuable. It's a step forward for the proteomics community."

Quantitative proteomics research continues to evolve, with a continued shift toward targeted analysis and more recently data-independent analysis. This shift requires a new level of reproducibility and integration for qualitative and quantitative analysis. The Eksigent ekspert nanoLC 400 system is designed for next-generation proteomics and data-independent workflows, such as MS/MS^ALL with SWATH™ Acquisition. Released earlier this year, SWATH Acquisition is a groundbreaking mass spectrometry-based technique that enables quantification of all detectable peptides and proteins in a complex sample from a single analysis.