Waters upgrade Xevo MRT performance: who doesn’t want sharper, faster imaging?
Waters Corporation (MA, USA) is unveiling a major upgrade to the Xevo MRT system, enabling rapid, high-resolution molecular imaging with greater sensitivity and speed.
Waters Corporation this week announced the integration of the DESI XS Ion Source with its high-performing XevoTM MRT mass spectrometer. The update introduces ambient ionization imaging to the benchtop system, allowing researchers to generate spatial molecular maps directly from sample surfaces with minimal preparation. The enhancement aims to support a broad range of scientific applications requiring high-resolution, label-free molecular imaging.
High spatial and mass resolution imaging is becoming increasingly important in fields such as pharmaceutical research, pathology and materials science. The ability to visualize the distribution of specific molecules—such as drugs, lipids or metabolites—within complex samples provides critical insights for both discovery and diagnostics. Mass spectrometry imaging is a powerful technique in this space, and advances in speed and sensitivity can significantly improve research workflows.
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The upgraded Xevo MRT delivers up to 100,000 full width at half maximum, scan speed resolutions of 100 Hz and mass accuracy up to 500 parts per billion. Compared to previous systems like the Xevo G3 QTof, the Desi XS Ion Source offers at least twice the sensitivity in standard MS mode, up to five times greater sensitivity in semi-targeted workflows, and an estimated 2.7-fold increase in imaging speed. Despite these advancements, the system retains a compact design, making it accessible for labs with limited space.
The advancement is set to accelerate breakthroughs in drug development, pathology and biomarker discovery, as well as span applications in forensic science, food safety and materials analysis.
To find out more about targeted mass spectrometry imaging, check out our In the Zone!
