Acquisition to make ECD Technology more Accessible

e-MSion, an early-stage company behind electron capture dissociation (ECD) technology known as the ExD cell has been acquired by Agilent Technologies.

This device for mass spectrometers is said to bring researchers enhanced structural information of complex biomolecules by more comprehensively and precisely breaking their chemical bonds, potentially accelerating drug development.

“The talented team at e-MSion has created an important technology in accelerating biopharma development,” said Jacob Thaysen, president of Agilent’s Life Sciences and Applied Markets Group (LSAG). “We are excited to integrate the ExD cell into our portfolio of advanced workflows, instruments and analytical solutions for biotherapeutic characterisation and development. Our customers will see tangible benefits from these unmatched capabilities.”

Being compatible with instruments common in many labs, the ExD cell could bring powerful characterisation technology—previously limited to only a few high-end mass spectrometers— to a larger share of labs and biopharma researchers worldwide.
Agilent has worked closely with e-MSion for several years and has offered the company’s ExD cell technology with its 6500 series since 2019. e-MSion was founded by Oregon State University scientists, who developed the ExD cell.

“Joining Agilent will enable seamless integration of innovative e-MSion ExD technology, data analysis and visualisation tools with Agilent’s powerful LC-QTOF instrumentation to more completely analyse macromolecules and to accelerate biopharma therapeutic discovery and development,” said Joe Beckman, president and CEO of e-MSion.

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