Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches New Mass Spec at ASMS

Thermo Fisher Scientific announced the release of a new mass spectrometry platform, in addition to several updates to existing products at the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) conference in Anaheim, California earlier this week.

The Stellar MS. Courtesy of Thermo Fisher Scientific

The new mass spectrometer, called the Stellar, combines fast throughput, high sensitivity, and ease of use to allow researchers to advance its translational omics research and make breakthrough discoveries more efficiently, the company said in a press release. The Stellar mass spectrometer includes third-party software support via the Thermo Scientific Ardia platform and high throughput liquid chromatography separation with the Thermo Scientific Vanquish Neo ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system Tandem Direct Injection workflow, the company said.

“The theme for us at ASMS is really from compounds to clinical research,” said Bradley Hart, Senior Director of Analytical Sciences and LSMS Marketing at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “I think that's an important theme. Because when we do talk to pharma and biopharma these days, it becomes a discussion of discovery.”

Pharma and biopharma companies are facing a highly competitive marketplace as many invest in the development of drugs for important treatment uses including blood, cancer, and infections, among others, according to a report from the professional services firm PwC. Many are looking to bring drugs to market at faster rates and are utilizing new tools like artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to rapidly enhance the development process.

Big Pharma companies have also been restructuring. The past year, for example, saw restructuring at multiple companies such as Bristol Meyers Squibb (BMS), Pfizer, Genentech, and Sanofi. This has led to turnover in some analytical laboratories and can place a burden on existing staff to train up new workers that may not necessarily be experts in analytical chemistry.

These trends all translate down to instrument manufacturers like Thermo Fisher Scientific, which have been answering the call for increased need for speed, compactness, ease-of-use and efficiency in running samples by launching new products to align with these needs. And the demand for new instruments is only growing. Data from BCC Research shows that the demand for analytical instrumentation will balloon to $82.5 billion by 2028, up from $60.9 billion in 2023.

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s new Stellar spectrometer, for example, boasts a variety of applications for pharma companies and beyond, Hart said. “It could be used for toxicology, metabolomics, even food analysis,” he said. “What you'll see is applying it more to the markets as time goes on. Because really, fundamentally, it is the fastest, most sensitive, targeted instrument we could build with our technologies.”

In addition to the launch of the Stellar, Thermo also announced several additional updates to its product line at ASMS. It launched three new editions of its Orbitrap Ascend Tribrid mass spectrometers with capabilities tailored for specific application areas including structural biology, biopharma, and multi-omics. These tools contain new hardware for a Native MS option and a dry pump with improved sustainability.

The company also highlighted its Ardia platform, which supports end-to-end workflows and centralizes data and instrument management for chromatography and mass spectrometry systems. The platform now has new capabilities focused on security, connectivity, and openness.

Moving forward, Thermo, like many instrument vendors, is also working to provide more sustainable solutions for clients, Hart said. Many are asking for greener tools that are also more compact, he added.

“We're all trying to make them smaller because we know lab space is very critical,” he said. “That’s a lot of what we hear from the market.”