SARAMIS Run-it-Box for sample preparation and remote measurement
More and more large laboratories are identifying microorganisms by means of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry because of the speed, ease of handling and accuracy of the technique. In contrast, small and medium sized labs have been hesitant due to the need for substantial financial investment into a mass spectrometer instrument. But now AnagnosTec, provider of the most advanced database of microbiological ReferenceSpectra, offers medical, veterinary, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, environmental safety and research laboratories a solution that requires no investment into instrumentation at all.
go to: SARAMIS Product Line | SARAMIS Run-it-BoxIdentification of microorganisms in clinical and veterinary microbiology
In medical and veterinary diagnostics, the rapid and reliable identification of microorganisms from diverse samples is a crucial step toward an appropriate treatment of infectious diseases. The most widely applied technology for identification for microorganisms is based on metabolic activity with various substrates. Automated or semi-automated systems are available from BioMérieux (VITEK® 2, API®-system) but still require cultivation time or a preliminary identification. Recently, mass spectral identification of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and mould has been developed as a tool for rapid identification as an alternative to biochemical or genetical approaches. The most widely applied technology for mass spectral identification of microorganisms is matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry). Due to the soft ionisation by MALDI the mass range of detectable biomolecules extends to large proteins. Identification of microorganisms by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry can be applied to a wide array of bacteria, yeasts, and moulds and does not require laborious cultivation steps. A small amount of cells from a plate or a small volume of liquid culture is sufficient for an automated and rapid identification.
SARAMIS Spectral ARchive And Microbial Identification System
SARAMIS was developed by AnagnosTec and is a patented computer-based tool for the rapid identification of microorganisms by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The heart of SARAMIS is a growing database of mass spectral data of a broad variety of microbial samples. Currently, more than 62,500 spectra of more than 1,160 species and 233 genera are archived, mainly pathogens, but also environmental isolates.
Data from multiple samples of an individual species are combined in SuperSpectra containing the information on mass signals characteristic of that species. SuperSpectra are thus a reference for an identification independent of actual growth conditions, cultivation time etc. making the identification of clinical samples very robust. The database holds SuperSpectra primarily of human and animal pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum, and many others, covering all clinical and veterinary requirements. Identification of microorganisms with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and SARAMIS can be largely automated allowing a high-throughput of several hundred samples per hour.
SARAMIS is designed to give a full result summary including automatic quality control of the mass spectral analysis in a single concise report.
Sample preparation and analysis for SARAMIS are straightforward and have been tested for all kinds of microorganisms and samples. SARAMIS does not require extensive instruction and the costs for consumables and labour are considerably lower compared to other technologies.
For Your individual requirements, the database can be easily extended with data from reference strains of interest. If you would like to learn more about SARAMIS and mass spectral identification of microorganisms, please contact us.
Services in MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
AnagnosTec has been and is involved in a number of scientific research project where we can bring in our profound experience in mass spectral analysis. You can profit from more than 25 person-years for customer-oriented services in mass spectrometry offered by AnagnosTec. The fields of application of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry includes - among many others - qualtity control of meat and fish, high-throughput screening for new pharmaceuticals, identification of natural toxins. See our Research & Development to learn more about AnagnosTec's scientific activities and potential applications.
If You are interested in mass spectral analyses of Your samples, please contact us to discuss the services AnagnosTec can offer you with our scientific team.