A new benchmark for high-throughput accurate mass analysis
The Echo® MS+ system, a high-throughput analytical solution, is now compatible with the ZenoTOF 8600 system, an industry leading accurate mass spectrometer recognized for enhanced sensitivity.
In Marlborough, Massachusetts, SCIEX announced in February 2026 that its Echo® MS+ system, a high-throughput analytical solution, is now compatible with the ZenoTOF 8600 system, an accurate mass spectrometer recognised for enhanced sensitivity. The integration, revealed ahead of the SLAS 2026 conference, brings together ultra-fast sample handling with high-resolution mass analysis, positioning the combined platform as the highest-throughput accurate mass solution currently available for large-scale laboratory workflows.
The announcement matters at a time when pharmaceutical, biotechnology and contract research laboratories are under sustained pressure to generate more data from smaller sample volumes, while keeping costs, timelines and reproducibility under control. High-throughput screening has long been associated with speed, but not always with the depth and confidence that accurate mass spectrometry can provide. SCIEX is positioning this integration as a response to that long-standing trade-off.
Why throughput and sensitivity are colliding in life-science analytics
For years, laboratories have had to choose between speed and analytical depth. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) remains the gold standard for many analyses, but it introduces bottlenecks when thousands of samples must be processed. Queue times, extensive sample preparation and the risk of carryover all slow down decision-making.
The Echo® MS+ system approaches the problem from a different angle. Instead of relying on traditional liquid handling, it uses acoustic ejection to transfer nanolitre-scale droplets of sample without physical contact. This allows sampling rates of up to one sample per second, with volumes as low as 2.5 nanolitres, while virtually eliminating carryover.
What has been missing, however, is the ability to combine that speed with highly sensitive, accurate mass detection suitable for intact proteins and complex biomolecules. Compatibility with the ZenoTOF 8600 system is designed to close that gap.
The strategic significance of ZenoTOF 8600 compatibility for SCIEX
According to Kean Woodmansey, Senior Product Manager for Echo MS at SCIEX, pairing Echo MS+ with the ZenoTOF 8600 was a deliberate strategic milestone rather than an incremental upgrade.
“Pairing the Echo® MS+ system with the ZenoTOF 8600 system merges extreme throughput with industry-leading accurate mass sensitivity,” he said in an exclusive interview with MoveTheNeedle.news, adding that the integration “unlocks assays that were previously impractical at scale—particularly intact-protein, biomolecular, and complex matrix analyses, while working with much smaller sample quantities.”
The ZenoTOF 8600 builds on SCIEX’s time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry portfolio, with a focus on sensitivity and accurate mass measurement. In practical terms, this allows laboratories to maintain confidence in molecular identification and quantitation, even when sample volumes are drastically reduced.
This matters because many modern discovery workflows, especially in biologics and protein-based research, are constrained not by instrumentation speed but by sample availability. Producing sufficient quantities of high-quality protein remains costly and time-consuming.
What operational problems does the combined system actually solve?
SCIEX describes the Echo MS+ and ZenoTOF 8600 combination as removing several operational bottlenecks at once. By bypassing liquid chromatography, laboratories can avoid LC-driven queue times and heavy preparation steps. Sampling directly from microplates enables true plate-based decision-making at scale.
Woodmansey points to a tangible shift in timelines: “Sampling at up to one per second enables multi-plate screens to be completed in hours rather than days, dramatically increasing lab throughput.”
Equally important is the impact on costs. Susan Darling, Senior Director of Adjacent & Transformational Technologies at SCIEX, highlighted that enhanced sensitivity allows researchers to work with “significantly smaller protein quantities” while delivering “substantial cost efficiencies throughout the drug development process.”
For organisations running large compound libraries or protein screens, these efficiencies can translate into fewer repeats, faster go-or-no-go decisions and better use of scarce biological materials.
Who stands to benefit most from the combined platform?
The integration is not aimed at every laboratory. Its primary audience is clear: pharmaceutical and biotechnology discovery teams, contract research organisations (CROs) and high-throughput screening cores operating at industrial scale.
“These groups are managing large-scale compound screens, intact-protein workflows or advanced biomolecular characterisation, where both sensitivity and speed are essential,” Woodmansey explained.
Academic institutions with dedicated screening facilities may also benefit, particularly where collaboration with industry demands faster turnaround and reproducibility at scale. For students and early-career researchers, exposure to such platforms reflects a broader shift in how analytical science is practised—less as a sequential process and more as a data-driven, automated pipeline.
Early feedback: smaller sample volumes, bigger implications
One of the most immediate changes reported by early users concerns sample volumes. Working at the nanolitre scale is not new in theory, but it has often come at the expense of data quality. The enhanced sensitivity of the ZenoTOF 8600 appears to mitigate that concern.
“Early users point to significant cost savings enabled by nanolitre-scale acoustic ejection, especially in biochemical and protein-based screens where protein yield is often limited,” said Woodmansey. He added that being able to work with as little as 2.5 nanolitres allows teams to “stretch scarce or low-yield protein across far more assays.”
This has broader implications for experimental design. When sample constraints are eased, researchers can explore more conditions, replicates or time points, improving the robustness of their conclusions without proportionally increasing costs.
SCIEX in context: mass spectrometry heritage and Danaher backing
The Echo MS+ system is not an isolated product within the SCIEX portfolio. It already supports compatibility with the SCIEX Triple Quad 6500+ system and the ZenoTOF 7600 system. The addition of the ZenoTOF 8600 extends that trajectory towards higher sensitivity and accurate mass workflows.
From a strategic perspective, SCIEX has consistently positioned itself around holistic workflow solutions rather than standalone instruments. “SCIEX empowers our customers to solve the most impactful analytical challenges,” Woodmansey said, pointing to a balance of innovation, reliability and support as a long-term differentiator.
SCIEX is a Danaher company and has been a significant player in life-science analytical technologies for more than five decades. It is widely recognised for its contributions to mass spectrometry, including the launch of the first commercially successful triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in 1981.
Strengths, limits and realistic use cases
The Echo MS+ and ZenoTOF 8600 integration addresses genuine pain points in high-throughput analysis, particularly for organisations operating at scale. Its strengths lie in speed, reduced sample consumption and the combination of throughput with accurate mass sensitivity.
That said, the system is not a universal replacement for LC-MS. Many applications will continue to require chromatographic separation, especially where isobaric compounds or complex mixtures demand additional resolution. The value of the new platform is therefore most apparent in screening and decision-making stages, rather than in every downstream analytical task.
Integrations such as this also offer a glimpse into where high-throughput mass spectrometry is heading. As Woodmansey put it, the field is “clearly moving toward scale, accurate mass workflows that minimise preparation and maximise sensitivity.”
For the industry as a whole, the Echo MS+ and ZenoTOF 8600 combination underscores a simple point: speed no longer has to come at the expense of confidence.
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