COLUMBIA, Md. (June 26, 2014) — Shimadzu and Indigo BioSystems have announced a partnership to develop and market mass spectrometry solutions that simplify and accelerate clinical data acquisition and data review for applications in clinical research, forensic toxicology and new drug development.

Under the terms of the agreement, Shimadzu is combining its ultra-fast mass spectrometry platforms with Indigo BioSystems' expert system software. ASCENT^TM clinical analysis software is a comprehensive and powerful data analysis suite that interprets visual data results from instruments and automatically reviews the data for problematic results. Results are delivered quickly, consistently and reliably.

ASCENT supports the scientist by automatically analyzing and reporting correct data and flagging only the outliers for expert review. The software speeds sample analysis by automating peak selection and peak area fitting. It also includes assay-specific quality assurance rules, which allow peaks to be automatically tested for quality. ASCENT operates using a web-browser interface requiring no software to be installed on computers in order to perform quantitative analysis.

Patrick Armstrong, director of Shimadzu Scientific Instruments’ R&D department said, “Indigo BioSystems’ tools for high-throughput automated data analysis are highly developed with an impressive list of advanced features and greatly simplify clinical laboratory workflows.” He added, “We are excited to work with Indigo to leverage powerful ASCENT tools on Shimadzu’s ultra-fast mass spectrometry platforms.”

Dr. Randall Julian, CEO of Indigo BioSystems said, “Our partnership with Shimadzu will result in tighter integration between their excellent ultra-fast LC-MS/MS and our automated analysis software, ASCENT. This collaboration allows production labs to achieve maximum efficiency, superior quality and rapid turnaround time. Shimadzu’s instruments, in combination with the ASCENT software, create a high-throughput, intelligent, production system.”