Case Study: AstraZeneca achieves seven-fold faster, error-free automated MS data processing with Genedata Expressionist

Effi cient, automated data processing for a novel MS-based high-throughput screening platform

AstraZeneca faced a data-processing bottleneck when adopting a novel Acoustic Mist Ionization MS (AMI‑MS) high‑throughput screening platform: AMI‑MS produces very large, content‑rich raw files (multiple 384‑well plates per file) that required slow, manual parsing, barcode scanning and peak‑integration steps that risked errors, reduced traceability, and constrained assay flexibility. To address this, AstraZeneca partnered with Genedata and deployed Genedata Expressionist to automate and standardize AMI‑MS data handling.

Genedata implemented configurable, lockable workflows in Genedata Expressionist that automatically parse raw AMI‑MS files, assign spectra to wells, apply quality filters, and perform dynamic peak detection/clustering, with results exported into Genedata Screener for QC and hit identification. The Genedata solution cut processing time for a 150×384‑well dataset from about 3 hours to ~25 minutes (≈7‑fold faster), eliminated manual barcode and peak‑entry errors, improved data quality and traceability, and enabled reproducible, flexible MS‑based screening.

AstraZeneca

Jonathan Wingfield

Mechanistic Biology and Profiling, Discovery Sciences