Rapid Assay System Debuts at Pittcon 2009

Cobalt Light Systems previously known as LiteThru Ltd, introduced its TRS100 Rapid Assay System at  the Pittcon 2009 Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy in Chicago March 8th – 13th as a powerful alternative to techniques such as HPLC – a workhorse in the industry but three to four orders of magnitude slower according to the company.

The instrument uses a technique called TRS spectroscopy, developed by the Company’s Chief Scientific Officer Pavel Matousek and said to be able to provide rapid assay of pharmaceutical dosage forms such as capsules and tablets with no sample preparation. One hundred samples can be analysed in less than five minutes, measuring chemical composition, polymorph concentrations and amorphous content, the company said. The benefits include faster drug development, quicker product testing in manufacturing and process control improvements.

Speaking of the launch, Craig Tombling, Chief Operating Officer of Cobalt Light Systems said: “We felt that a major international conference like Pittcon was the ideal place to introduce this revolutionary new product.

The simplicity of use and the comprehensive nature of the results mean that the TRS100 has many applications and those benefits are very clear to delegates at Pittcon.”

Pavel Matousek, Chief Scientific Officer, who spoke at the conference said: “The system uses the analytical power of Raman spectroscopy

combining light-scattering with chemometric analysis software to achieve a relative error rate as low as 1%.

The most exciting application examples are where the contents are hidden, such as opaque capsules or coated tablets.”

The Company also chose Pittcon as the venue to rebrand the organisation from LiteThru Ltd to Cobalt Light Systems.

The company is a spin-out from the STFC’s (The Science and Technology Facilities Council) world famous Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.