Institute Develops Medical Applications for Mass Spectrometry to
Understand the Molecular Underpinnings of Cancer and Other Diseases
MILFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 22, 2016--
At a ceremony
and symposium at Maastricht University, The Netherlands, Waters
Corporation (NYSE:WAT) officially welcomed the Maastricht MultiModal
Molecular Imaging Institute M4I into the Waters
Centers of Innovation (COI) Program. Under the direction of
Professor Ron Heeren, the institute conducts research into applications
for mass spectrometry in three main areas: oncology, neurology and
cardiovascular medicine.
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On hand to congratulate Maastricht University and Prof. Heeren were (l-to-r) Davy Petit, Senior Director, Marketing, Europe, Middle East, Africa, India, Waters Corporation; Prof. dr. Ron Heeren, Maastricht University; Prof. dr. Martin Paul, President, Maastricht University; Marja van Dieijen, President and CEO of the Executive Board, Maastricht University, and Eric Fotheringham, Director - Strategic Collaboration, Waters Corporation. (Photo: Business Wire)
“In 2014, we welcomed Ron Heeren in Maastricht to become our university
professor. The economy of Limburg benefits greatly from his innovative
impulses to scientific developments and Prof. Heeren’s research group is
of paramount importance for the growth and development of UM research,”
said Prof. Martin Paul, President of Maastricht University. “The M4I
Institute, consisting of Heeren’s mass spectrometry lab and Peter
Peters’s nanoscopy lab, is already one of the largest imaging centres in
Europe. M4I expands already established imaging infrastructures such as
Brains Unlimited, and improves Maastricht’s position as an international
centre of excellence for human and molecular imaging even further.”
“Prof. Heeren is a true visionary and we are extremely pleased to
welcome him into our COI Program,” said Eric Fotheringham, Director of
the Waters Centers of Innovation Program. “The fantastic work being done
by the MultiModal Molecular Imaging Institute with the help of imaging
mass spectrometry gives me a lot of optimism about medical science and
the future of health care.”
For its research, the Institute employs three forms of mass spectrometry
– mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) coupled with ion mobility and high
spectral mass resolution. The scope of Prof. Heeren’s use of imaging
mass spectrometry is wide-ranging. He uses it to determine where
molecules of all types – lipids, intact proteins, endogenous peptides,
drug metabolites – are localized within a tissue sample - and which are
found in high concentrations and which are not - all in an effort to
improve the understanding of disease progression and regression.
In an interview
published in 2014, Prof. Heeren said, “I dare to predict that in ten
years’ time, this imaging technique will be a standard diagnostic tool
and patients will be assessed on their individual molecular status.
We’re already well on the way in oncology, neurology and cardiovascular
medicine.”
Precision or personalized medicine is the development of treatments that
are attuned to the specific biology of an individual patient. More
specifically, by understanding the molecular heterogeneity of tumors and
their different cellular phenotypes, precise treatments can be
formulated that offer a patient the best chance of a long and healthy
life.
To salute the work of Prof. Heeren and the Maastricht MultiModal
Molecular Imaging Institute, Waters Corporation sponsored a symposium
titled Translational
Imaging MS: Molecular Pathology Towards Precision Medicine. The
event featured presentations by noted experts in imaging mass
spectrometry including Markus Stoekli, Novartis Institutes for
BioMedical Research; Prof. Klaus Dreisewerd University of Münster; Prof.
Michel W. F. Nielen, Wageningen University; Dr. Liam McDonnell, Leiden
University Medical Center; Professor Zoltan Takats, Imperial College.
About the MultiModal Molecular Imaging Institute
The M4I Division of Imaging Mass Spectrometry is one of the world
leaders in high resolution molecular imaging of biological surfaces. The
division targets the development and application of state-of-the-art
mass spectrometry based molecular imaging approaches for biomedical
cellular and tissue research. Main research aim for the coming years is
to develop and apply mass spectrometry as a tool for personalized
medicine.
About Waters Corporation (www.waters.com)
Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) develops and manufactures advanced
analytical and material science technologies for laboratory dependent
organizations. For more than 50 years, the company has pioneered a
connected portfolio of separations science, laboratory information
management, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis systems.
Waters is a trademark of Waters Corporation.
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Source: Waters Corporation
Waters Corporation
Brian J. Murphy, +1 508-482-2614
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brian_j_murphy@waters.com