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Reference Certification and Commercialisation of “Universal” Mass Spectrometry Calibration Standards

Project description

Certified calibrants for mass spectrometry instrumentation

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a widely used technique that measures the mass of biomolecules and organic molecules, with applications in a range of fields such as biochemistry, clinical microbiology and drug discovery. However, there is a need for regular calibration of MS instrumentation to obtain accurate and reliable data. Scientists of the EU-funded SpheriCal project have developed a set of cutting-edge synthetic calibration standards that are certified and can thus be used in clinical diagnostics and other fields with strict regulatory requirements. Importantly, compared to existing solutions, the SpheriCal calibrants are fast to prepare, cover a wide mass range and offer good resolution.

Objective

Mass spectrometry (MS) is an established benchmark analytical technique to analyse biomolecules, organic molecules and synthetic polymers. MS techniques such as MALDI, IM-MS and ESI (electrospray ionization) are widely used in a range of fields such as biochemistry, clinical microbiology, medicine and drug discovery. Its prominence in these fields is due to the ability to accurately measure the absolute mass, and therefore species present, in complex analytes such as raw biological media, in high throughput experiments. For example, MALDI is used clinically to identify the nature of bacterial infection through the unique biological fingerprint of each bacteria type.

Critically, due to small and continuous changes in the various system components, data recorded exhibits a significant drift over time and between analysis runs, leading to peak miss-assignment and misleading data such as false positives. Therefore, mass spectrometers require regular calibration with a set of known standards in order to provide accurate and meaningful data. Without accurate calibration, MS instrumentation will not produce reliable data, limiting the advancement and efficiency of biomedical and clinical industries and environmental monitoring organizations. Existing calibrants have disadvantages such as time-consuming preparation, poor resolution, cover an insufficient mass range and lack Certified Reference Material (CRM) status.

To overcome these shortcomings of the existing calibrants, PF aim to commercialize a set of cutting-edge synthetic calibration standards called SpheriCal®. We are now attempting to reinforce SpheriCal® as a calibration system with CRM status – allowing access to additional lucrative markets such as clinical diagnostics and other markets with strict regulatory requirements.

Building upon successful development and validation through preliminary end-user trials, through this 6month Phase 1 project we aim to confirm the techno-economic feasibility of SpheriCal

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

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Coordinator

POLYMER FACTORY SWEDEN AB
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 50 000,00
Address
TEKNIKRINGEN 48 1 TR
114 28 STOCKHOLM
Sweden

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Östra Sverige Stockholm Stockholms län
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 71 429,00
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