Waters and Tecan sign agreement for clinical assay platform

To address the growing need for greater efficiencies and throughput that can be
obtained with the automation of routine clinical laboratory assays, Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)
and Tecan Group (SIX Swiss Exchange: TECN) have entered into an agreement to combine
Tecan’s Freedom EVO® liquid handling platform with Waters® ACQUITY® TQD
liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer (LC/MS/MS) to automate sample
preparation. Waters will combine the technologies from both companies into a
single, fully-supported analytical system solution that helps laboratories
increase assay throughput and efficiency, improve profitability, and drive
down overall assay costs. The firms announced the agreement at the annual
Mass Spectrometry: Applications for the Clinical Laboratory (MSACL) meeting
January 14 – 18 at which Waters will be exhibiting a number of its LC-MS
based products including those for the therapeutic drug monitoring of the
immunosuppressant drug Tacrolimus®. Waters will also present a variety of
technical workshops and scientific posters at this year’s conference.

“The multi-step process of preparing samples for LC/MS/MS analyses remains a
significant bottleneck and an opportunity for improvement in many
laboratories. If there is one thing laboratory managers consistently ask
for, it’s better, more automated sample preparation and analysis,” said Pat
Martell, Clinical Marketing Director, Waters Division. “Combining sample
preparation and analysis in a single unified platform facilitates the entire
assay process and streamlines analyses significantly. By lowering assay
costs and bringing a greater consistency to test results, laboratories can
offer clients a higher level of service and responsiveness.”

For additional information:

Tecan’s Freedom EVO® liquid handling platform:
http://www.tecan.com/platform/apps/product/index.asp?MenuID=2694&ID=5270&Men
u=1&Item=21.1.8

Waters® ACQUITY® TQD liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer:
http://www.waters.com/waters/nav.htm?cid=514467&locale=en_US

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