Waters Launches Fit-for-Purpose ACQUITY UPLC H-Class Bio System, the First-of-its-Kind Biocompatible UPLC Platform

MILFORD, Mass., June 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) today introduced the first-of-its-kind Waters® ACQUITY UPLC® H-Class Bio System, expanding the scientific and business benefits of UPLC® Technology for macromolecule analysis by optimizing characterization of biomolecule structures supporting their progression to viable biotherapeutics.

"By nature of their complexity, large biomolecules present significant analytical challenges that have been uniquely addressed by the new ACQUITY UPLC H-Class Bio System," said Dr. Jeff Mazzeo, Biopharmaceutical Business Director for Waters Division. "During the recent introduction of Waters H-Class system, it became clear that the H-Class technology was not only the missing link between UPLC and HPLC, but it also had far reaching potential to address specific challenges in biotechnology. To that end, Waters purposefully built upon the engineering successes of the quaternary-based H-Class technology targeting biotech labs that want the performance of UPLC separations along with the flexibility to work with stock solvents. The new ACQUITY UPLC H-Class Bio System provides the ultimate in large molecule characterization enabling organizations to gather information on the true value of their possible therapeutic products."  

Powered by the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class platform with a flow-through-needle sample manager and quaternary solvent manager, the new system performs multiple chromatographic techniques that are needed to characterize complex biomolecules. Additionally, it features an inert flow path, and leverages Waters AutoBlend Plus™ Technology to optimize the analysis of proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and glycans.  

Because of the complexity of any given large molecule, biochemists often must employ one or more chromatographic techniques to accurately separate and characterize any given sample.  Powered by proven, reliable and robust UPLC capabilities, the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class Bio System has the flexibility to perform four chromatographic modes on a single system: reversed phase, ion exchange (IEX), size exclusion (SEC), and hydrophilic interaction (HILIC).   Scientists can now perform all required assays for robust protein characterization on a single UPLC system.

For example, the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class Bio System is ideally paired with Waters' new bioseparations technology columns: the ACQUITY UPLC BEH200 SEC column, the first UPLC analytical size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) solution for the characterization of proteins and their aggregates, and the Protein-Pak™ Hi Res IEX column, designed for the analysis of biomolecules including monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, DNA/RNA, and vaccine components.  These proprietary columns combine with the system to provide orthogonal analytical separations necessary to fully characterize a protein therapeutic.

In addition to system flexibility, UPLC users reported the need to design a new system with materials that address the unique challenges associated with macromolecule analysis.  Accordingly, the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class Bio System is constructed with inert, corrosion resistant materials. Consequently, the system is uniquely suited for the high ionic strength aqueous conditions commonly used for protein separations. Additionally, the flow path has been tested to ensure that it minimizes undesirable protein interactions and leaching of materials into the mobile phase.

Finally, Waters AutoBlend technology is a key enabler to ensure mobile phase compositions and gradients are automatically blended to achieve the optimum retention and selectivity requirements. AutoBlend Plus is a patented software technique that maximizes separation selectivity by managing solvents and concentration gradients -- by percent gradient composition as well as by pH and ionic strength -- with the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class Bio System quaternary solvent manager.  The system blends solvents and buffers on demand to optimize methods, and accurately transfer methods to other laboratories with minimal variability.

More information on the ACQUITY UPLC H-Class Bio System is available on Waters web site: www.waters.com/hclassbio.

About ACQUITY UPLC (www.waters.com/uplc)

The ACQUITY UPLC family of systems eliminates significant time and cost per sample from analytical processes while improving the quality of results. By outperforming traditional or optimized HPLC, the system allows chromatographers to work at higher efficiencies with a much wider range of linear velocities, flow rates, and backpressures. UPLC Technology, which has been adopted successfully in laboratories around the world for the most demanding separations, is a highly robust, dependable, and reproducible system. What differentiates the system's holistic design is Waters' patented sub-2 micron hybrid particle chemistry, significant benefits over today's HPLC systems equipped with standard 5 micron particle chemistries.

About Waters Corporation (www.waters.com)

For more than 50 years, Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) creates business advantages for laboratory-dependent organizations by delivering practical and sustainable innovation to enable significant advancements in such areas as healthcare delivery, environmental management, food safety, and water quality worldwide.

Pioneering a connected portfolio of separations science, laboratory information management, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis, Waters technology breakthroughs and laboratory solutions provide an enduring platform for customer success.

With revenue of $1.5 billion in 2009 and 5,000 employees, Waters is driving scientific discovery and operational excellence for customers worldwide.

Waters, ACQUITY UPLC, UPLC, AutoBlend Plus and Protein-Pak are trademarks of Waters Corporation.

SOURCE Waters Corporation