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BREMEN, Germany – May 14, 2013 -  MALDI (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization) imaging is a mass spectrometric imaging technique that allows the untargeted measurement of proteins, peptides, lipids, drugs and metabolites directly from tissue. MALDI imaging has been successfully applied in various research fields. A particular area of application is the histopathology research concerned with the definition of molecular phenotypes in cancer, like expression patterns that are associated with progression of cancer, or the discovery of novel proteins associated with metastasis.

Technological improvements in recent years have increased the acquisition speed and spatial resolution of MALDI imaging datasets, generating demand for software that can handle the massive amount of data and helps in the generation of biological knowledge.

SCiLS Lab is the software developed by SCiLS GmbH which allows the user-friendly statistical analysis of large MALDI imaging datasets. It features new concepts such as an edge-preserving spatial de-noising and spatial segmentation of datasets with virtually un-limited size. It also allows the comprehensive analysis of studies with many patients, including unsupervised clustering and supervised classification.

“Comprehensive statistical analysis of large MALDI imaging datasets is one of the major demands of our customers”, said Dr. Shannon Cornett, Applications Development Manager and expert for MALDI imaging at Bruker. “The SCiLS team has channeled their mathematical and statistical expertise into a software product that surpasses anything that is currently available on the market. It integrates perfectly with our own flexImaging™ software and will be an integral part of our complete MALDI imaging solution. Unquestionably, SCiLS Lab will set new standards for analyzing MALDI imaging data, and I am confident that our customers will see tremendous benefit from this exclusive collaboration as it improves their imaging workflow.”

Dr. Dennis Trede, Managing Director at SCiLS GmbH, added: “We are happy to collaborate with the market and technology leader in the field of MALDI imaging and to benefit from Bruker’s distribution channels. We believe our software can push MALDI imaging forward by enabling the analysis of large data sets with unprecedented ease of use for everyone.”

Dr. Ferdinand von Eggeling, Professor at the University Hospital in Jena, Germany and user of Bruker’s MALDI imaging equipment explains: “We use MALDI imaging for the molecular analysis of head and neck cancers. My lab has been beta-testing the SCiLS Lab software, and the SCiLS team has been very knowledgeable and responsive to our suggestions. This software will enable the analysis of complex tumor tissues and make results more descriptive and accessible. ”
 
About SCiLS
SCiLS GmbH is an R&D company located in Bremen, Germany. SCiLS develops and markets the SCiLS Lab software for analysis and interpretation of MALDI imaging mass spectrometry data. SCiLS GmbH closely cooperates with the Steinbeis Innovation Center "SCiLS Research", and SCiLS is carrying out research projects on the European level contributing with R&D innovations and serving as a core platform for 2D and 3D MALDI-imaging data. For more information, please visit www.scils.de.

About Bruker Corporation
Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR) is a leading provider of high performance scientific instruments and solutions for molecular and materials research, as well as industrial, diagnostics and applied analysis. For more information, please visit www.bruker.com.

For Further Information:
Dr. Sören-Oliver Deininger
Bruker Daltonik GmbH, Bremen, Germany
T: +49-421-2205-403
E:  sod(at)bdal.de

Media Contact:
Vicky Lander
Director of Global Marketing Communications Services
T: +1-978-663-3660
E: vicky.lander(at)bdal.com

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 29, 2013-- At the 23rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), Bruker shows new capabilities of the MALDI Biotyper™ platform.

The MALDI Biotyper (MBT) is the market-leading system for microbial identification based on MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. It is widely used in clinical microbiology, industrial microbiology, animal health and food safety and has become the broadly accepted laboratory standard for next generation microbial identification. While conventional biochemical testing takes time-consuming incubation after selection of the microbes from the culture plate, the MALDI Biotyper allows for an instantaneous identification of colonies from a plate. The MALDI Biotyper system covers a broad range of more than 4,600 microbial isolates from gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, yeasts, multicellular fungi and mycobacteria. It is broadly applicable as a standard identification tool in various fields of microbiology. Microbial identification with the MALDI Biotyper is done using a proteomic fingerprint. This unique species-specific pattern is automatically compared with reference spectra in the MALDI Biotyper library. In addition, the MALDI Biotyper supports the Open Microbiology Concept which allows customers to generate their own database entries from regional isolates via a push-button storage in a customer-specific sub-library.

The new second edition of the MBT Mycobacteria Library adds another 140 isolates from 37 new species. The library is fully compatible with all standard cultivation media for mycobacteria, such as solid Löwenstein-Jensen medium or in liquid culture using the MGIT™ system from Becton Dickinson. With these added capabilities the MALDI Biotyper covers now more than 130 species of mycobacteria.

The new MALDI Biotyper Pilot™ accessory complements the satellite software to a complete, barcoded and paperless workflow. The MBT Pilot is used for light-guided manual target preparation using cross hairs to indicate the next position for preparation on the MALDI target. Barcoding of the MALDI target and the sample, along with multiple isolate support, ensure that the complete process is fully traceable.

The new MALDI Biotyper Galaxy™ performs a quality-controlled automated deposition of the MALDI matrix onto the target plate. After the preparation it scans the target positions and checks if each spot is optimally prepared for MALDI Biotyper measurements. The MBT Galaxy has a seamless integration into the MBT server coupled with on-board barcode reading and automated loading of the associated project work list. Both MBT Pilot and MBT Galaxy are scheduled to be commercially available in 2013.

The revolutionary MALDI-Biotyper-Spectrum-Beta-Lactamase™ workflow (MSBL™) enables users to perform patented functional beta-lactam antibiotic resistance testing for selected antibiotics on the MALDI Biotyper platform. The cleavage of beta-lactam antibiotics, like penicillins, 3rd generation cephalosporins or carbapenems by resistant bacteria leads to specific mass shifts of the cleaved products. Such mass shifts can be observed and monitored using the MALDI Biotyper, and automatically interpreted with the MSBL software module, which is also expected to be commercially availability later this year.

Dr. Wolfgang Pusch, Executive Vice President - Microbiology Business at Bruker Daltonics, explained: “At the 2013 ECCMID in Berlin, Bruker is again showcasing very significant developments to further improve and streamline the established MALDI Biotyper workflow. The MALDI Biotyper Pilot and MALDI Biotyper Galaxy automation accessories add further functionality for quality control and traceability and at the same time reduce the manual workload of the operators. The MSBL method is another major step ahead to apply the MALDI Biotyper platform also in the fields of hospital hygiene and epidemiology to get fast results concerning resistance of bacteria to selected antibiotics.”

Professor David Livermore, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, commented: “I am very excited about the potential to detect beta-lactamases - and maybe other resistances - as well as to identify microbes by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Early information about resistance is very important to antibiotic stewardship.”

About the Bruker MALDI Biotyper

The dedicated MALDI Biotyper solution enables molecular identification, and taxonomical classification or dereplication of microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Classification and identification of microorganisms is achieved reliably and quickly using proteomic fingerprinting by high-throughput MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Applications include clinical routine microbial identification, environmental and pharmaceutical analysis, taxonomical research, food and consumer product safety and quality control, as well as marine microbiology. The robust MALDI Biotyper method requires minimal sample preparation and offers low consumables cost. The MALDI Biotyper is available in a research-use-only version, or in an IVD-CE version according to EU directive EC/98/79 in various European countries. In the United States of America the MALDI Biotyper is available for research use only, and not for use in diagnostic procedures.

*MGIT is a trademark of Becton Dickinson.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130429005006/en/

Source: Bruker Corporation

For Further Information:
Dr. Wolfgang Pusch
Bruker Daltonik GmbH, Bremen, Germany
 +49-421-2205-270
wpu@bdal.de
or
Media Contact:
Vicky Lander
Director of Global Marketing Communications Services
+1-978-663-3660
vicky.lander@bdal.com

VICTORIA, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 18, 2013-- Bruker and the University of Victoria-Genome British Columbia Proteomics Centre (UVic GBC Proteomics Centre) have announced a collaborative effort for the development and validation of high-throughput assays for determining hemoglobin variants and diabetes risk, using Bruker´s MALDI Biotyper platform for clinical mass spectrometry, and based on intellectual property developed at the UVic GBC Proteomics Centre.

Diabetes: The liquid chromatography, immunoassay and electrophoresis-based methods which are currently used to screen and monitor for blood disorders are expensive, laborious and time-consuming. In 2009, the Expert Committee of the International Diabetes Foundation recommended the use of the hemoglobin-based A1c (hbA1c) test as the “method of choice” for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes. In contrast to previous assays, it is expected that the new MALDI (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization) TOF-MS (time-of-flight mass spectrometry) based test for hbA1c and genetic hemoglobin variants designed for use on the MALDI Biotyper platform will provide advantages with regards to specificity, accuracy, speed of analysis and cost per analysis. These performance and cost advantages, coupled with the ease of use and speed of a MALDI-TOF assay, are anticipated to result in higher patient screening rates, which is especially important in the case of diabetes where early detection of at-risk subjects can lead to the prevention of disease onset. Complications of undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes include cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure, retinal damage which can lead to blindness, several kinds of nerve damage, and micro-vascular damage.

Hemoglobin Variants: Some well-known genetic hemoglobin variants are responsible for diseases such as sickle-cell anemia, C disease, and a separate class of diseases known as thalassemias. Diabetes is also reflected in the blood by an increase in the level of glycated hemoglobin, which is measured in the hbA1c test. In general, individuals with inherited blood disorders are physiologically vulnerable and are at higher risk of infection, stroke, heart failure, liver and acute chest syndrome. Late diagnosis of diseases such as sickle-cell anemia can result in delay of treatment and irreversible damage to major organs, including increased risk of stroke or kidney damage.

The MALDI Biotyper platform is already in widespread clinical use with over 800 systems installed globally. Applications include clinical routine microbial identification, environmental and pharmaceutical analysis, taxonomical research, food and consumer product safety and quality control, as well as marine microbiology. The MALDI Biotyper is available in a research-use-only version, as well as in an IVD-CE version according to EU directive EC/98/79 in various European countries, and as a Class 1 Medical Device to clinical microbiology sites in Canada. In the United States of America the MALDI Biotyper is available for research use only, not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Dr. Gary Kruppa, Vice President for Business Development at Bruker Daltonics, stated: “The MALDI Biotyper is a versatile, robust, benchtop system that is well suited for use in clinical laboratories as evidenced by its large installed base. We are very pleased to be working with the world-class team of researchers at the UVic GBC Proteomics Centre on the development and validation of high throughput iMALDI tests to further broaden the clinical applications of the MALDI Biotyper platform.”

Professor Christoph Borchers, Director of the GBC UVic Proteomics Centre, commented: “The collaboration with Bruker is an excellent match. We believe that further development of our MALDI and immunoMALDI (iMALDI) technology will lead to commercialization of MALDI-TOF based tests for a number of important diseases. Developing and validating these tests in collaboration with Bruker gives us a partner ready to deploy such tests on the clinically accepted MALDI Biotyper platform, which will reduce our time to market.”

About Bruker Corporation

Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR) is a leading provider of high-performance scientific instruments and solutions for molecular and materials research, as well as for industrial, diagnostics and applied analysis. For more information, please visit www.bruker.com.

ABOUT UVic Genome-BC Proteomics Centre

The UVic-Genome BC Proteomics Centre, located at UVic’s Vancouver Island Technology Park in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, has been providing protein analytical services to academic, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and government laboratories worldwide since 1982. Supported in part by a collaborative relationship between the University of Victoria and Genome British Columbia, the centre is a not-for-profit proteomics facility. For more information: Dr. Christoph Borchers, Director: E: borchers@proteincentre.com, T: +1 (250) 483-3221.

For more information in iMALDI: www.proteincentre.com/services/imaldi

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130418005010/en/

Source: Bruker Corporation
Bruker Daltonics
Gary H. Kruppa, Ph.D., +1-978-663-3660, x1227
Vice President of Business Development
ghk@bdal.com

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - March 18, 2013 - At Pittcon 2013, Bruker today debuted the new aurora Elite, a new ultra-sensitive Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). Complementing the now updated workhorse aurora M90 ICP-MS for routine laboratory analysis, the new aurora Elite sets unprecedented and truly exceptional standards for sensitivity and matrix robustness, even exceeding the performance of expensive magnetic sector field ICP-MS systems in many aspects, and far exceeding the sensitivity of all other quadrupole ICP-MS systems on the market today.

The aurora Elite boasts a host of performance enhancements and new features, with unprecedented 1.5 gigahertz per parts per million (1.5 GHz / ppm) sensitivity for precise and accurate quantification at single digit ppt levels and below, which makes the aurora Elite the most sensitive ICP-MS instrument on the market. This incredible sensitivity makes it eminently suitable for the semiconductor, geochemistry, materials science and related applications. The lowest oxide ratios using its patented turner-interlaced coils ensures robust plasma conditions for complete matrix decomposition, all without the requirement of a plasma shield or guard electrode.

The combination of the aurora Elite’s high sensitivity with the all-digital detector delivers excellent results for isotope ratio determinations of low concentrations and for large ratios, and this is true for liquids and solids.  The combination of the aurora Elite’s GHz sensitivity with very short integration times makes this an ideal instrument for the analysis of nanoparticles at the smallest dimensions. When coupled to laser ablation devices aurora Elite becomes an ultra-sensitive detector to detect material ablated by single digit µm laser beams -   expanding the range for e.g. biological imaging or advanced material research. The incorporation of an easy-to-use Collision Reaction Interface (CRI II) provides a solution for simple, robust, maintenance-free interference challenges, with the convenience of either Helium- or Hydrogen mode, for improved detection limits of spectrally interfered isotopes and highest accuracy.

The expanded ICP-MS range from Bruker, including the enhanced aurora M90 and the new aurora Elite, now also offer 21 CFR Part 11 compliance to meet the requirements of pharmaceutical, biotech and CRO customers.

Dr. Meike Hamester, Director ICP-MS Global Market Development and Product Management at Bruker’s Chemical and Applied Markets (CAM) Division, commented:  “The introduction of the most sensitive ICP-MS on the market provides an instrument which offers highest sensitivity as the key enabler to redefine application boundaries of ICP-MS.”

“Bruker CAM started in 2010 with the commitment to bring new innovation to the applied markets. The aurora Elite is the seventh  major product introduction in under 36 months. This is a strong statement of Bruker’s commitment to bringing new ideas, solutions and innovation to laboratories in the food, petro/energy, pharma, environmental, and related segments”  said Colin D'Silva, president of Bruker CAM.

Media Contact:
Meredith Conoley
Bruker CAM Division Marketing Director
T: +1 (510) 683 4305
E: meredith.conoley@bruker.com