Shimadzu Corporation acquired a 75% stake in the outstanding shares of German startup Plasmion GmbH on March 23, making the Augsburg, Bavaria-headquartered company a subsidiary. This acquisition aims to acquire Plasmion’s mass spectrometer (MS) ion source technology, Soft Ionization by Chemical Reaction In Transfer (SICRIT), and related technologies to strengthen Shimadzu’s MS business.
The SICRIT ion source technology overcomes the limitations of the widely used atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI) method in liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and related applications. This system directly ionizes analytes with high sensitivity, without complex sample pretreatment, enabling real-time, high-sensitivity analysis. Current applications include searching for disease markers in exhaled breath in the healthcare field, monitoring trace hazardous substances in the environment, and non-destructive analysis of aroma components in food and beverages.
The two companies maintain a collaborative relationship initiated in 2019 through technical information exchanges, product lending, and application development. Following the acquisition, Plasmion’s founders, CEO Dr. Thomas Wolf and CTO Dr. Jan-Christoph Wolf, continue to hold 25% of the company’s shares and remain involved in management. Shimadzu plans to develop next-generation mass spectrometers by integrating the SICRIT technology with its existing MS-related technologies.
