Bruker has announced a series of updates to its microbiology and infection diagnostics portfolio at ESCMID Global 2026, expanding its MALDI Biotyper, IR Biotyper, and reflex next-generation sequencing workflows for microbial identification, outbreak analysis, and culture-independent diagnostics. The company framed the new releases around workflow standardization, broader organism coverage, automation, and new research-focused analytical capabilities.
For routine MALDI-TOF workflows, Bruker has launched the MBT Easy T Kit in RUO and IVDR formats. The consumables kit aims to simplify and standardize sample transfer to MALDI target plates. It includes ready-to-use reagents and applicators, supports up to 2,000 samples, allows room temperature storage, and reduces chemical waste.
Bruker has also expanded its MALDI Biotyper reference libraries to more than 5,300 species across bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi, and mycobacteria. The latest update adds more than 600 new species and strengthens species coverage for the dedicated filamentous fungi MyT workflow by about 30%. The company noted that corresponding IVDR-registered library expansions are in progress.
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To support specialist identification, Bruker is offering selected key opinion leaders and expert laboratories early access to a cloud-based MALDI identification solution for research use. The platform operates within the MBT Compass HT environment and provides access to expert-curated libraries, including yeast, anaerobic bacteria, and mosquito collections.
The company is also advancing automation through MBT PrepMatic and MBT SepsiMatic, both under evaluation in IVDR-compliant clinical validation studies. MBT PrepMatic is designed for semi- to fully automated colony picking and MALDI target preparation, while MBT SepsiMatic is designed to automate workflows from positive blood culture bottles to prepared MALDI target plates.
“In routine MALDI-TOF identification, having critical reagents readily available in a standardized format is essential,” remarks Kirsten Schönfeld, Diplom-Biologin, Institut Dr. Nowak GmbH, Germany. “The MBT Easy T® Kit provides pre-filled, ready-to-use solvent ampoules, including formic acid, which will simplify logistics and daily laboratory operations. This helps maintain a robust and streamlined MALDI Biotyper workflow in a clinical setting.”
Beyond identification, Bruker reports ongoing U.S. clinical studies intended to support 2026 FDA submissions for mycobacteria and filamentous fungi identification claims. It is also running clinical validation studies on rapid phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing using MALDI-TOF MS for Enterobacteriaceae, targeting same-day results from positive blood cultures and agar colonies. At ESCMID, the company is presenting exploratory poster data on AI-driven antibiotic resistance prediction for Staphylococcus aureus, based on more than 2,600 MALDI Biotyper spectra with AUROC above 0.8.
Bruker also expanded IR Biotyper applications with IR Tracker for hospital-acquired infection surveillance and new classifiers for Salmonella Typhi, STEC, and Shigella species. In parallel, it introduced an updated MBioSEQ Ridom Typer with TB-Profiler-based antimicrobial resistance determination and GAMBIT bacterial species identification for MALDI- or IR Biotyper-triggered WGS reflex workflows. The company added that the integration of Molzym, acquired in late 2025, brings host-DNA depletion technology for sensitive detection of microbial DNA in low-biomass and blood samples.
This article is based on a press release issued by Bruker.
