Innovative new mass spectrometer for rapid, robust, and detailed data on all components in complex mixtures

Verdel Instruments Ltd, a University of Warwick spin out, is developing an innovative and patented technology which will allow scientists to obtain detailed structural information for thousands of molecular compounds simultaneously using the new technique called two-dimensional mass spectrometry (2DMS). 2DMS allows a user to fragment a wide range of molecules simultaneously and, at the same time, keep track of which fragments come from which precursor molecules. Effectively, 2DMS performs these fragmentation studies in parallel on all compounds at once, rather than serially one compound at a time, which greatly speeds up the experiment.

While the first versions of the technology were developed on very advanced mass spectrometers and have only been used in academia, Verdel has developed an approach which is suitable for routine bench-top mass spectrometers which will be fast enough to provide these comprehensive fragmentation datasets in a few seconds and thus are compatible with chromatographic techniques. Our new technology will be ideal for viral detection, characterisation, and tracing, a critical need in the current COVID crisis.

The chemical, clinical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical industries use mass spectrometry extensively to identify the molecules in their samples or formulations, detect contaminants, and to quantify important compounds. The new 2DMS technology will greatly improve the data quality and speed for those analyses. We have two prototype instruments made by modifying existing commercial mass spectrometers and so are not designed and optimised for the newly demonstrated 2DMS technique. Thus, the project will develop an entirely new mass spectrometer based on our existing prototypes.

In the short term, Verdel will offer a sample analysis service to customers to develop the technique and learn about the market. Where there is a need, Verdel will sell existing instruments modified to enable 2DMS. This business plan will develop the market for 2DMS technologies, identify early-adopters of our technology who will be good future customers, develop an early stage income stream, and continue to develop our intellectual property position to improve the commercial value of the business.

This business approach will combine with this proposed industrial research project, preparing the market for the launch of the 2DMS instrument being developed. Furthermore, this approach will allow us to validate the market analysis from the 2018 ICURe cohort and more deeply understand the value of 2DMS to customers in various usage applications thus developing our pricing model.