Bruker launches MALDI Biotyper sirius

Bruker has recently launched the MALDI Biotyper sirius system for all previously FDA-cleared, and for all research-use-only (RUO) MALDI Biotyper (MBT) reference libraries, which are used for near-universal, fast, and cost-effective microbial identification from cultures in microbiology. The MALDI Biotyper sirius for the first time now also supports novel negative-ion mode assay research and clinical studies in fast antibiotic-resistance testing.

This new high-end system complements the standard MALDI Biotyper and the high-throughput MALDI Biotyper smart. The global spreading of antibiotic resistance is a growing healthcare problem, and the development and implementation of new, fast, and cost-efficient resistance tests are important for advancing antibiotic stewardship.

For Gram-negative bacteria, the resistance problem is so serious in many countries that antibiotics like colistin, with the risk of nephrotoxic side effects, increasingly have to be used as an antibiotic of last resort. Antibiotic stewardship aims to de-escalate the therapy in such cases early, if possible, or switch patients to other therapeutic options, if resistance is detected.
The new MALDI Biotyper sirius uses the proprietary smartbeam solid-state laser with a 200-Hz repetition rate, and a lifetime of 500 million shots. This essentially makes the smartbeam a lifetime laser in typical microbiology laboratories. The high-performance vacuum system allows for an even faster exchange of target plates in laboratory workflows, where multiple technicians prepare targets independently.

Moreover, the high-performance vacuum system reduces downtime after service or preventive maintenance, which typically can be completed on the same day. The MBT sirius features new electronics, and LED strips indicate the system status. In the RUO MBT sirius, polarity switching to negative-ion mode is software-controlled and just takes a minute.

In addition, Bruker has introduced MBT-STAR assays for selective-testing of antibiotic resistance for carbapenems and for cephalosporins as research-use-only assays to support US research and validation studies for the fast detection of antibiotic resistance. The functional MBT-STAR assays monitor molecular mass shifts owing to the enzymatic metabolization that occurs in the case of bacterial resistance against the beta-lactam class of antibiotics.