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 Chem-
istry, has a long history in pioneering the technologies that
currently power Boston-based 908 Devices’ commercial prod-
ucts. 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 exten-
sively on utilizing micro- and nanofabrication strategies to cre-
ate 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 technolo-
gies 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 surpris-
ing that even though my basic training is not in mass spectrom-
etry, 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 spec-
trometry to deliver dramatically enhanced sensi-
tivity and broader threat category coverage.