AstraZeneca will collaborate with U.K. startup-supporter Medicines Discovery Catapult to develop the use of sound waves in mass spectrometry for drug discovery applications.
Acoustic mist ionization mass spectrometry uses sound energy to spray fine, charged particles into the analyzer, contactless and without contamination, at a rate of up to three samples per second—a twenty-fold improvement in throughput compared to traditional methods, according to MDC.
The high speed allows researchers to apply the rich data provided by traditional mass spectrometry to dynamic kinetic assays, and study multiple biological changes in parallel.
The not-for-profit organization, backed by the development agency Innovate U.K., plans to offer small- and medium-sized enterprises and academics access to the hardware through research partnerships, as well as contracted fee-for-service projects, joint R&D grant applications, and shared risk-and-reward models.
“It is important for us to enable U.K. SMEs to use hard-to-access sophisticated bioanalytical technologies,” said Peter Simpson, MDC’s chief scientific officer. “For the first time, using the power of sound energy, this state-of-the-art technology gives our partner SMEs the potential to better understand and more rapidly advance their promising drug candidates.”
Its current offerings include high-information content assays in cultured cell systems, kinetic monitoring of chemical and biochemical reactions, fingerprinting of metabolites and lipids in blood or other samples, and target validation and pathway analysis.
MDC is also developing novel assays in biomarker identification and drug discovery, and has said it is eager to collaborate on specialized tests.
“Our collaboration with Medicines Discovery Catapult will not only enable us to engage with the wider scientific community but will also allow us to unlock the potential of Acoustic Mass Spectrometry within drug discovery,” said Jon Wingfield, AstraZeneca’s principal scientist for its Innovative Medicines and Early Development Biotech Unit.
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In addition, MDC announced the U.K. government has committed to a five-year, £55 million ($70.5 million) investment in the program.
“We’re backing experts to push new boundaries, so our future economy reaps the benefits of new technologies with more highly skilled jobs,” Business Secretary Greg Clark said in a statement. “Investment in research and development is at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy as we build on the U.K.’s reputation for scientific innovation.”
The money was a part of £215 million split among the U.K.’s catapult network, which includes focuses on digital technologies, transport systems and future city development. In August, the government announced a billion-pound expansion of its high-tech innovation hubs, including £70.6 million for the development of a cell and gene therapy catapult in Greater London.