Industry Roundup: Bruker Unveils Next-Generation Multiomics MS Tools at ASMS

At ASMS 2026 in San Diego, California Monday morning June 1, 2026, Bruker unveiled a broad portfolio of mass spectrometry innovations designed to expand the capabilities of proteomics, metabolomics, environmental exposure science, and industrial research. The announcements highlight the company's continued focus on increasing analytical depth, sensitivity, throughput, and structural characterization to provide researchers with more detailed insights into disease biology and complex molecular systems.

One of the most notable launches was the new timsMRMS, a mass spectrometer that combines trapped ion mobility separation (TIMS) with ultra-high-resolution magnetic resonance mass spectrometry (MRMS). The system delivers mass resolving power ranging from one million to ten million, alongside parts-per-billion mass accuracy and an exceptionally wide dynamic range. By separating ions in the gas phase before MRMS detection, the timsMRMS is designed to tackle highly complex mixtures that challenge conventional mass spectrometers. Applications span energy-sector research, including petroleomics, biofuel characterization, battery materials analysis, and dissolved organic matter studies, while also supporting demanding life-science investigations.

Bruker also reported significant advances in bottom-up proteomics through improvements to its timsUltra AIP platform. Combined with new razor-PASEF acquisition methods and Spectronaut 21 software, the enhanced workflow now enables identification and label-free quantification of more than 10,000 proteins in complex biological samples. The platform can also quantify more than 6500 proteins while operating at throughput levels of up to 500 samples per day. These performance gains are expected to benefit large-scale biomarker discovery studies and translational research programs.

A compelling example comes from a clinical oncology initiative led by researchers at University Hospital Tübingen and the University of Freiburg (both in Germany). Using timsTOF-based proteomics, investigators routinely quantify more than 10,000 proteins from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue biopsies. The approach reveals functional signaling pathways, metabolic dependencies, and resistance mechanisms that may remain undetected through genomic or transcriptomic analyses alone, potentially supporting therapy selection in complex cancer cases.

Further extending Bruker's proteomics portfolio, the company highlighted major advances for the timsOmni platform. The system integrates trapped ion mobility with trapped electron-based dissociation (tExD) technologies to provide highly detailed characterization of intact proteins and proteoforms. New hardware and software developments have increased top-down sensitivity by approximately four-fold, enabling more comprehensive analysis of antibodies, glycoproteins, oligonucleotides, and other complex biomolecules. An additional Argon collision-gas option further improves fragmentation efficiency and sensitivity.

To support broader adoption of intact and top-down workflows, Bruker announced a partnership with Integrated Protein Technologies (IPT). The collaboration integrates IPT's SampleStream technology with timsOmni, enabling rapid automated buffer exchange and sample preparation. The workflow delivers mass spectrometry-ready samples in less than two minutes with minimal carryover, helping streamline biotherapeutic characterization.

Software innovation was another major theme of the ASMS presentations. Bruker introduced OmniScape 2027, ProteoScape 2027, and GlycoScape 2027, featuring AI-enabled tools for proteoform sequencing and post-translational modification analysis. New capabilities include LYRA, a de novo sequencing algorithm designed to interpret complex top-down spectra and rapidly screen vast numbers of potential proteoform variants. Additional advances in glycoproteomics and neural-network-based peptide sequencing further strengthen the company's functional proteomics ecosystem.

Beyond proteomics, Bruker unveiled a new early-access program for hybrid 4D metabolomics workflows on timsMetabo. The approach combines targeted metabolomics with absolute quantitation using established assay kits while simultaneously enabling untargeted discovery in a single experiment. This long-sought combination could simplify large-scale metabolomics studies and provide a more complete view of disease-related metabolic changes.

Finally, Bruker expanded into new industrial applications with TOFWERK-based airborne molecular contaminant monitoring systems for semiconductor manufacturing. Designed to improve process control and yield optimization, the new solutions have already secured a multi-million-dollar order from a leading global memory manufacturer, underscoring growing demand for advanced analytical technologies beyond the life sciences.

Reference

1. Bruker Announces Major Strides in 4D Proteomics Performance, Further Advances In Intact and Top-Down Functional Proteoform Analysis, and Innovations in Hybrid Qual/Quant 4D Metabolomics – all to Enable Deeper Insights into Disease Biology. Bruker press release. (accessed 2026-06-01).