Owlstone Nanotech, Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Nanotech, Inc. (OTCBB: AVNA) and Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A), today announced a phase one agreement to develop Owlstone's field-asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) filter as a front-end separation module for Agilent's Accurate Mass time-of-flight mass spectrometers (TOF-MS).
The goal is to determine how the systems can work together to enable identification of previously unresolved analytes. The collaboration will also explore how FAIMS can speed up liquid chromatographic separations, saving valuable analysis time.
Financial details were not disclosed.
"The collaboration with Agilent gives us the opportunity to integrate our technology onto highly sensitive mass spectrometers that are ideal for demonstrating the benefit of the unique high-field, fast scanning ability of our FAIMS device," said Bret Bader, Owlstone CEO. "Partnerships with highly skilled organizations like Agilent are a key part of our business strategy. We view this alliance with a recognized industry leader as a further stride in the realization of this strategy and a testament to the quality we strive to achieve at Owlstone; and we are very excited by the potential of these collaborative efforts to bring new analytical capabilities to a world-wide market."
"The fast scanning speed of the Owlstone micro-scale FAIMS device now makes it feasible to acquire ion mobility spectra from LC/MS separations in real time," said John Fjeldsted, Agilent LC/MS Research and Development director. "In particular, our TOF and QTOF systems with Agilent Jet Stream Technology are uniquely suited for coupling to high-speed ion mobility separations by virtue of very high spectral acquisition rates and an excellent analyte desolvation design."
Advance Nanotech, Inc. (d/b/a Owlstone) is in the process of restructuring its business and becoming an operating company focused on its majority owned subsidiary Owlstone Nanotech's next generation chemical detection technology. Owlstone Nanotech, Inc. ("Owlstone") is a pioneer in the commercialization of chemical detection products. The Owlstone detector is a revolutionary dime-sized sensor that can be programmed to detect a wide range of chemical agents that may be present in extremely small quantities. Using leading-edge micro- and nano fabrication techniques, Owlstone has created a complete chemical detection sensor that is significantly smaller and can be produced more cost effectively than products using existing technology. There are numerous applications -- across industries from security and defense to industrial process, air quality control and healthcare -- that depend on the rapid, accurate detection and measurement of chemical compounds. Owlstone works with market leaders within these industries to integrate the detector into next generation chemical sensing products and solutions. Owlstone's technology offers a unique combination of benefits, including small size, low manufacturing costs, minimal power consumption, reduced false-positives, and a customizable platform.