Owlstone
Nanotech, Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Nanotech, Inc. (OTCBB: AVNA) and
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A), today announced a phase one agreement to
develop Owlstone's field-asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) filter
as a front-end separation module for Agilent's Accurate Mass time-of-flight
mass spectrometers (TOF-MS).
The goal is to determine how the systems can work together to enable identification
of previously unresolved analytes. The collaboration will also explore how FAIMS
can speed up liquid chromatographic separations, saving valuable analysis time.
Financial details were not disclosed.
"The collaboration with Agilent gives us the opportunity to integrate
our technology onto highly sensitive mass spectrometers that are ideal for demonstrating
the benefit of the unique high-field, fast scanning ability of our FAIMS device,"
said Bret Bader, Owlstone CEO. "Partnerships with highly skilled organizations
like Agilent are a key part of our business strategy. We view this alliance
with a recognized industry leader as a further stride in the realization of
this strategy and a testament to the quality we strive to achieve at Owlstone;
and we are very excited by the potential of these collaborative efforts to bring
new analytical capabilities to a world-wide market."
"The fast scanning speed of the Owlstone micro-scale FAIMS device now
makes it feasible to acquire ion mobility spectra from LC/MS separations in
real time," said John Fjeldsted, Agilent LC/MS Research and Development
director. "In particular, our TOF and QTOF systems with Agilent Jet Stream
Technology are uniquely suited for coupling to high-speed ion mobility separations
by virtue of very high spectral acquisition rates and an excellent analyte desolvation
design."
Advance Nanotech, Inc. (d/b/a Owlstone) is in the process of restructuring
its business and becoming an operating company focused on its majority owned
subsidiary Owlstone Nanotech's next generation chemical detection technology.
Owlstone Nanotech, Inc. ("Owlstone") is a pioneer in the commercialization
of chemical detection products. The Owlstone detector is a revolutionary dime-sized
sensor that can be programmed to detect a wide range of chemical agents that
may be present in extremely small quantities. Using leading-edge micro- and
nano fabrication techniques, Owlstone has created a complete chemical detection
sensor that is significantly smaller and can be produced more cost effectively
than products using existing technology. There are numerous applications --
across industries from security and defense to industrial process, air quality
control and healthcare -- that depend on the rapid, accurate detection and measurement
of chemical compounds. Owlstone works with market leaders within these industries
to integrate the detector into next generation chemical sensing products and
solutions. Owlstone's technology offers a unique combination of benefits, including
small size, low manufacturing costs, minimal power consumption, reduced false-positives,
and a customizable platform.