Varian develops new probes for nuclear magnetic resonance of solid materials

6 May 2006

Palo Alto, Calif., USA. Varian, Inc. (NASDAQ:VARI) has developed new probe technology that is expected to fundamentally improve the ability of researchers to conduct applications research in solid state NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance). The FastMAS and UltraFastMAS probes are used to analyze solid materials meeting diverse application requirements in the life science and pharmaceutical industries.

The new line of probes is the first commercial product of its kind and is designed to improve resolution, which increases the value and quality of spectral data information provided by NMR. Additionally, these probes reduce the amount of sample required for analysis.

"FastMAS probes open the door for a variety of solid-state NMR experiments to be conducted that weren't previously possible," said Martin O'Donoghue, senior vice president of Scientific Instruments, Varian, Inc. "We expect that method developers will come to see these probes as a 'must-have tool' to provide high performance solid-state results."

Varian has also introduced the BioStatic NMR probe for determining the molecular structures of proteins and other biomolecules in a solid state.

Bio-solids NMR experiments allow access to 70% of all cellular proteins, such as membrane proteins, that are considered solids because they are not free floating in intracellular fluid. These analyses can provide researchers with unparalleled insight into proteins and biomarker molecules associated with a wide variety of diseases.

Varian's BioStatic probe incorporates patent pending ultra-low E-field coil technology to reduce unwanted heating by up to 94% compared to a standard solenoid coil design probe, and enables experiments to be run up to 5x faster than competitive offerings. Low transfer of heat to the sample is important to researchers because heating can alter or destroy valuable biological solids samples.

"Membrane proteins are of considerable interest to our customers because they represent approximately 65 percent of current drug targets," said Martin O'Donoghue, senior vice president of Scientific Instruments, Varian, Inc. "The BioStatic probe is another product in our information rich detection (IRD) portfolio that demonstrates the continuing innovation of our NMR research and development team."

Delivery for the new probes is scheduled to begin later this calendar year.

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