MDS Sciex's Innovation Recognized by Manning FoundationScientists Receive Award of Distinction for Revolutionary Device
September 25, 2001, TORONTO, ONTARIO - MDS Sciex, Canada’s leading developer and exporter of mass
spectrometry technology, today announced that it has been recognized with the
prestigious $25,000 Manning Award of Distinction for its pioneering work in the
development of the Dynamic Reaction Cell ™. 
The CanWest Global Communications Corporation $25,000 Manning Award of Distinction, given to leading Canadian innovators since 1982, has been awarded to Drs. Scott Tanner and Vladimir Baranov, both research scientists at MDS Sciex, for their invention of the Dynamic Reaction Cell (DRC).
"We are proud to be the recipients of such an esteemed award from the Manning Foundation," said Andy Boorn, president of MDS Sciex. "This award is a tribute to our commitment to innovation and research, and helps to reinforce Canadian excellence within the global scientific community."
"Scott Tanner and Vlad Baranov join an outstanding group of innovative
Canadians recognized by the Foundation through the past twenty years," said Donald Park, Ernest C. Manning Innovation Awards. "Let this country and the world witness our technological achievers".
The revolutionary DRC, created in 1997, is incorporated in an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS), an instrument that breaks apart and analyzes matter at the atomic level. The DRC enables scientists to detect ultra trace levels of contaminants in a variety of sample types at levels that could not be attained until now.
“The DRC dramatically improves the performance of ICP-MS instruments in a simple-to-use manner,” said Tanner. “However, the science behind it is exceedingly complex and fascinating.”
“The DRC introduces a new dimension of chemical resolution which is incredibly more efficient than conventional physical means of mass resolution,” says Baranov.
With broad applications ranging from detecting toxic elements in blood or urine to dating complex rock samples without the need for chemical pre-treatment, the DRC has had a dramatic effect on the scientific world, in particular in analytical atomic spectrometry and elemental analysis. The device has also enhanced the potential for new applications using mass spectrometers in the area of biomedical research.
Furthermore, a DRC-equipped ICP-MS provides accurate, efficient and cost-effective quality control over high-purity and aggressive chemicals used in semi-conductor chip manufacturing.
About MDS and MDS SCIEX
MDS Inc. (TSE: MDS; NYSE:MDZ) is an international health and life sciences company focused on fighting disease. MDS SCIEX is the analytical instrumentation division of MDS Inc. With revenues of $1.4 billion, MDS has over 10,000 employees and operates in more than 24 countries around the world. Its products and services include: laboratory testing, imaging agents for nuclear medicine testing, sterilization systems for medical and consumer products, research and clinical development services to speed discovery and development of new drugs, therapy systems for planning and delivery of cancer treatment, analytical instruments to assist in the development of new drugs, and medical/surgical supplies. More information is available at
www.mdsintl.com or
www.mdssciex.com.
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