Research into diagnostic markers of disease benefits from LC/MS/MS technology

Milford, Mass., October 3, 2011 – Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) today welcomed the University of Minnesota’s Mass Spectrometry Laboratory into its Centers of Innovation Program. Waters honored the Mass Spectrometry Laboratory under the direction of Joseph Dalluge, Ph.D., for his research into diagnostic marker assay development relevant to cystic fibrosis and other diseases. He’s also honored for his research as a collaborating member of the University’s newly-created Center for Bioanalysis of Molecular Signaling. The Dalluge mass spectrometry laboratory is part of the Department of Chemistry within the University’s College of Science and Engineering.

“Dr. Dalluge‘s creativity and enthusiasm for taking on analytical science challenges knows no bounds,” said Tim Riley, PhD, V.P. of Strategic Innovation, Waters Division and Program Director of Waters Centers of Innovation program. “His fondness for idea generation and bringing ideas to fruition continues to inspire those he collaborates with giving us great pleasure to recognize Dr. Dalluge and support his laboratory’s ongoing research through our Centers of Innovation program.”

In his current position, Dalluge continues to generate new ideas as he and his colleagues attempt to understand the chemical basis of disease, molecular signaling, and adaptation. His research revolves around the use of leading edge liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry instrumentation for metabolite profiling, biomarker discovery, and advanced assay development and for the detailed chemical characterization of biological systems as it relates to function.

“As I talk to investigators about the power of UPLC combined with MS you can see the light bulbs go on in their heads,” Dalluge said. “What’s generated the most interest is the concept of looking at dissimilar biological systems and comparing them to find out how they might be different at the molecular level, what characterizes a disease state versus a non-disease state, the differences between an aging cell versus a young cell, a cell exposed to an inflammation agent versus cells not exposed to inflammation agents.”

By taking cell extracts and using the power of UPLC® with its high peak capacity, resolution, and speed of separation and combining it with a powerful MS platform and doing MS, MS/MS, and ion mobility, researchers can uncover fine details about incredibly complex biological systems and find subtle differences with potential biological relevance, Dalluge explained.

“That’s what is generating a lot of interest here,” Dalluge said.

Waters instruments - Waters ACQUITY® UPLC/TQD and ACQUITY UPLC®/Synapt® G2 - will continue to play a major role in Dalluge’s research into metabolite profiling, biomarker discovery, and advanced assay development.

“I am honored to be a part of the Centers of Innovation Program and for what it means to us as we conduct leading-edge research. I regard Waters as more than just an instrument vendor of choice. They are a research partner,” said Dalluge.

About Waters Centers of Innovation Program

Waters Centers of Innovation Program recognizes and supports the efforts of scientists facilitating breakthroughs in health and life science research, food safety, environmental protection, sports medicine and many other areas.

Dalluge is one of 13 researchers recognized by Waters' Centers of Innovation Program. Others include Professor Jeremy Nicholson, Imperial College London; Professor John Engen, Northeastern University, Boston, Mass.; Professor James Scrivens, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK; Professor David Cowan of Kings College London; Professor Arthur Moseley of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Professor Julie Leary of the University of California – Davis; and Professor Albert J. Fornace, Jr., Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, D.C.; Professor Marcos Eberlin, University of Campinas, Brazil; Dr. Chang Hsu, Future Fuels Institute, Tallahassee, Florida; Professor Ganesh Anand, National University of Singapore; Dr. Konstantinos Petritis, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona; and Professor Vladimir Shulaev, University of North Texas Department of Biological Sciences, Denton, Texas.

These leading scientists, in partnership with Waters, are using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to take research down new paths and help unlock the mysteries of science.

About Waters Corporation (www.waters.com)

For more than 50 years, Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has created business advantages for laboratory-dependent organizations by delivering practical and sustainable innovation to enable significant advancements in such areas as healthcare delivery, environmental management, food safety, and water quality worldwide.

Pioneering a connected portfolio of separations science, laboratory information management, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis, Waters technology breakthroughs and laboratory solutions provide an enduring platform for customer success.

With revenue of $1.64 billion in 2010 and 5,400 employees, Waters is driving scientific discovery and operational excellence for customers worldwide.