908devices
“Mass Spec for the Masses,” with technology developed at Carolina Chemistry Dr. J. Michael Ramsey, the scientific founder of 908 Devices Inc., the Goldby Distinguished Professor here at Carolina Chemistry, has a long history in pioneering the technologies that currently power Boston-based 908 Devices’ commercial products. He began to explore microfluidic structures for capillary electrophoresis in the ‘90s, which launched the miniaturization theme of his research group at UNC. His team focuses extensively on utilizing micro- and nanofabrication strategies to create devices that gather chemical and biochemical information.
Prior to the founding of 908 Devices, Mike was the Science Founder of Caliper Technologies, later renamed Caliper Life Sciences and acquired by PerkinElmer in 2011. The technologies and products the company commercialized were based on his foundational work in microfluidics. During 2011, a common interest and Mike’s groundbreaking work on the miniaturization of mass spectrometry connected him with Dr. Kevin J. Knopp, now CEO at 908 Devices, and Dr. Christopher D. Brown, now CTO at 908 Devices, and soon after 908 Devices was born.
Shifting the Core Lab Paradigm
“Interest in small, portable mass spectrometers has been around for well over three decades. Some might find it surprising that even though my basic training is not in mass spectrometry, my team was the first to figure out that if you cannot make the pumps smaller, you need to operate at higher pressures. Making that leap is a paradigm shift in mass spectrometry. I am not sure that we as a community understand yet how powerful it is,” says Mike.
J. Michael Ramsey,
Goldby Distinguished Professor at Carolina Chemistry
MX908™ leverages high-pressure mass spectrometry to deliver dramatically enhanced sensitivity and broader threat category coverage.
