Valo Therapeutics Acquires Bruker Corporation's Latest Mass Spectrometer Platform for Tumor Antigen Identification Through Valotx's Peptichip Technology
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Valo Therapeutics Oy (ValoTx) has made a significant announcement as the first European biotech company to incorporate the Bruker Corporation's cutting-edge timsTOF Ultra mass spectrometer and liquid chromatography platform into its operations. This technology promises a revolutionary enhancement in speed and sensitivity for antigen identification, particularly in conjunction with ValoTx's PeptiCHIP technology.
Tumor neoantigens, which are unique to cancer cells and can stimulate an effective immune response against tumors, are a focal point of cancer immunotherapy. Currently, the methods used to identify these antigens are hindered by their complexity and resource-intensive nature. By harnessing the timsTOF Ultra in combination with ValoTx's innovative microfluidic PeptiCHIP immunopurification device and prioritization algorithm, the prospects for neoantigen identification are significantly improved, even from minimal sample amounts like tumor tissue biopsies.
Bruker's timsTOF Ultra platform, introduced in June 2023, employs trapped ion mobility spectrometry and quadrupole time-of-flight technology, among other performance enhancements, to provide unmatched sensitivity. Its design caters to the requirements of immunopeptidomics and unbiased single-cell proteomics, where the detection of low-abundance peptides is of paramount importance.
Dr. Otto Kari, the VP and Head of ValoTx's Antigen Business Unit and EIC projects lead, expressed, "This remarkable equipment from Bruker, operational in our R&D laboratory since August, empowers us to rapidly and sensitively identify thousands of antigens from each PeptiCHIP-processed small tumor sample. The timsTOF Ultra will play a pivotal role in advancing our PeptiCHIP microfluidic chip technology, with the support of the EIC Transition PeptiCHIP grant. Additionally, we will exploit its capabilities for single-cell analysis through collaborations with leading researchers at the University of Helsinki and beyond."
Paul Higham, CEO of ValoTx, added, "As a strategic partner of Bruker in immunopeptidomics, we are thrilled to be the first European biotech company to receive the top-of-the-line timsTOF Ultra mass spectrometer. This instrument will undoubtedly become a cornerstone in our mission to develop personalized immunotherapies in conjunction with PeptiCHIP and our leading delivery platform, PeptiCRAd. As a spin-out of the University of Helsinki, we are equally pleased to contribute to cutting-edge research by installing this instrument in the state-of-the-art mass spectrometry laboratory at the Faculty of Pharmacy."
Prof. Jari Yli-Kauhaluoma, Dean of the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Pharmacy, remarked, "Our Faculty has a long history of high-level research and innovation in pharmaceutical sciences, and access to transformative technologies like Bruker's timsTOF Ultra mass spectrometer can have a profound impact on global human health. We are excited about the possibilities for breakthroughs in our collaborations with ValoTx through the use of this impressive instrument."
