Waters developed the kit with a coalition of academic, commercial, and government research scientists to create an alternative test method on LC-MS platforms in support of the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) Test & Trace program. Waters and team sought to create a complementary, high-throughput screening method that would also use different reagents to help relieve strain on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reagent supply chain.

The kit is available for use on the Acquity I-Class Plus System and Xevo TQ-XS System. It comes with an adaptable, automation-friendly format for liquid handling protocols using the Andrew+ Pipetting Robot on OneLab Software, according to Waters.

Sample results can be taken with clean, low-noise chromatograms in less than two minutes per sample, Waters said. Furthermore, the kit can be used for peptide concentration studies and research regarding the long-term effects of infection through peptide quantitation.

Future pandemic preparedness studies and research of signature peptide-based biomarkers may support gathering information about other infections, Waters added.

Waters' SARS-CoV-2 LC-MS Kit. Image courtesy of Waters.