Prosolia and AB SCIEX reach licensing agreement

INDIANAPOLIS, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Prosolia, Inc. and AB SCIEX announced today that they have entered into a license agreement for technologies developed by Dr. Gary Van Berkel and his colleagues of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).  Dr. Van Berkel is an innovator in the field of mass spectrometry and is the recipient of several awards for his contributions in the field.  The agreement provides Prosolia a license to a portfolio of new sample introduction and ionization methods based on the liquid micro- junction surface sampling probe approach that enables direct extraction of solid-phase analytes from a variety of surfaces using a continuous flow of solvent.  Its advantages provide research scientists and technicians access to rapid sample analyses in combination with multi-modal ionization capabilities and the versatility of coupling to thin-layer and liquid chromatography techniques.

"Our agreement with AB SCIEX further strengthens our position as the leader in ambient ionization mass spectrometry systems," said Justin Wiseman, President and CEO of Prosolia.  "Prosolia's growing patent portfolio is strong and is a critical element to our business strategy. We envision several new products arising out of Dr. Van Berkel's inventions and are excited to work with him and his group on these projects." 

Prosolia is a scientific instrument company developing and marketing novel research tools for scientists and technicians in academic, government, pharmaceutical, clinical and forensics research laboratories.  Their products streamline analytical workflows

The flagship product for Prosolia is based on the Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI) technology.   DESI enables rapid spot sampling and chemical imaging of surfaces under ambient conditions using mass spectrometry.  Their current products retro-fit onto instruments produced by the major instrument companies including AB SCIEX, Thermo Scientific, Waters, Agilent, Bruker and LECO Corp.

"We are delighted that our collaboration with thought leaders at Oak Ridge National Laboratory continues to be validated by the growing interest across the life science industry," said Dave Hicks, Vice President of the Pharma and Academic Business, AB SCIEX.  "Licensing the technology to other companies such as Prosolia will help speed up the commercialization of this novel sampling innovation."

AB SCIEX is a global leader in mass spectrometry and a trusted partner to thousands of scientists and lab analysts worldwide.  The company has a more than 25-year history of innovation and market leadership in mass spectrometry.  AB SCIEX has been collaborating with scientists at ORNL for more than a decade. 

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy's Office of Science.

SOURCE Prosolia, Inc.