SCIEX ASMS 2026 focus - efficiency and affordability?

 

Another company at ASMS is also thinking in a new direction. SCIEX rolled out just one piece of hardware, the novus55 QQQ/QTrap system.

This cute little box is focused on being space, energy and temperature efficient, while still being screaming fast. There is an example 20 min method where something crazy like 500+ pesticides are measured. It might be 800. I forget, maybe that was transitions. Still, I've never built anything above 130 MRM targets (<200 transitions, for sure)  and that didn't fit in 20 minutes.

But here was the big takeaway. SCIEX thinks that the 8600 and 7600+ systems are ready for prime time proteomics right now. And they're ready to put their money where their...mouths...are...? Is that a saying? 

I don't think these numbers were shared with me because they're secret. Normally people make me sign things if they have secrets. I was told academic pricing on an 8600 is $500k with $25k/year academic service deals. To put that in perspective -- I have a quote on my desktop for a new TIMSTOF Flex system. It has a MALDI2, but otherwise it's the exact same system we bought in 2020. Great system and I'm still writing up papers from data from it. 

Would I rather have another TIMSTOF Flex? Or 4 (FOUR. QUATTRO.)? 8600 systems? Or 2 and a half Asstral 1 systems? I think my best Asstral 1 system quote was $1.2M without an LC and stuff. This was during my lab setup and I know that prices change all the time. Actually...

As a reminder - just a couple years ago these systems were all >$1M. 

I signed up for a demo for whenever they can squeeze in some time for me.  Because scientific funding isn't getting better here.  And I literally don't even know how you fund a system over $1.2M USD? Like...how.... for real...actually asking.... I told everyone at SCIEX I don't actually have $500k either, but I'm willing to wait in line because the odds of me finding a project that is really cool and important and could be done with a $500k instrument is about 4 times better than me finding....$2,000,000 USD and writing a justification that I need a 6 year old instrument to do the work. 

They also rolled out software updates for the whole ZenoTOF line that should be coming close to 1Da SWATH windows with pulsing enabled. I think they were previously getting closer to 3 or 4Da. I really enjoy reprocessing the 2Da DIA window data from the Asstral. Could I get half the coisolation interference for less than half the price? 

Bruker ASMS! Delaying launches until they can support the products they have?

 

Bruker has been on a tear recently, launching a new instrument every single year. This year people at ASMS were probably surprised to see - nothing new. 

For those of us with Bruker instruments that are sitting around doing absolutely nothing right through ASMS, many of them for weeks leading up to it, we're breathing a huge sigh of relief.

I know a lab with 2 AIPs that have never worked. My Ultra2 has worked for about 45 days in 2026 and has now been down for over 2 months. I'm so very happy that Bruker is thinking about how they can dial back and try to support what they have in the field. They have amazing support people, but have prioritized their expansion on new tools and selling and buying really fucking dumb companies. NOT expanding the number of amazing people they have - or how well they treat them. 

They legit bought this dumbass company recently...

I thought they were out of business....

I'm super relieved to see that the Tau tangle masquerading as a brain trust at the top of Bruker has been convinced to take a step back and I sincerely hope they try to maintain the customer base they have.

I, for one, would trade my Ultra2 right this second for an Exploris 480 if you'd give me a 30 day warranty on it. Is it a step down? Sure? But I sure could use an instrument that ran for 30 straight days.