Category Archives: Uncategorized

BrightSpec Announces $18.4 Million Financing Round Led by Genoa Ventures and Arboretum Ventures

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — BrightSpec, Inc., a life science tools company commercializing Molecular Rotational Resonance (MRR) spectroscopy, announced today the closing of an $18.4 million Series C financing round, led by Genoa Ventures and Arboretum Ventures. The round includes participation from existing investors including Medvest Capital, Felton Group LLC, and the UVA Seed Fund.  Jenny Rooke, Ph.D.,… | Read article >>

BrightSpec to attend 3 conferences in June

With the return of in-person events on the rise, BrightSpec is pleased to be attending 3 conferences next month. IFPAC, for advanced manufacturing science, will be held in Bethesda from June 12-15. The International Isotope Society will be hosting the 14th International Symposium on the Synthesis and Applications of Isotopically Labelled Compounds June 12-14 in… | Read article >>

BrightSpec hosts Webinar “Unveiling Sesquiterpenes: Characterizing Isomers with MRR”

May 18, 2022 Today BrightSpec’s Reilly Sonstrom, Ph.D presented the webinar “Unveiling Sesquiterpenes: Characterizing Isomers with MRR.” The replay is available by clicking the link. Sesquiterpenes have a vast array of real-world applications that include pharmaceuticals, essential oils, flavors & fragrances, and crop protection. The beneficial characteristics of sesquiterpenes arise from the unique 3-dimensional structure… | Read article >>

New Paper on Chiral Analysis of Linalool

April 30, 2022 BrightSpec is pleased to announce its latest article, “Chiral Analysis of Linalool, an Important Natural Fragrance and Flavor Compound, by Molecular Rotational Resonance Spectroscopy” has been published in Symmetry. BrightSpec’s authors point out that terpenes are important for authentication. Linalool is a particularly important and useful compound to understand authenticity as well… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Hosts Residual Solvents Webinar

April 6, 2022 BrightSpec hosted a webinar on Residuals Analysis. A replay is available free of charge. “Residuals Analysis: Bridging the industrial gaps with headspace-MRR for quantitation and ID” introduces MRR for rapid development of residual solvents methods and detection. MRR can be particularly useful in development settings, where getting answers quickly, without extensive method… | Read article >>

New Paper on Chiral Analysis of Pantolactone

October 30, 2021. A new paper on the chiral analysis of Pantolactone, “Chiral Analysis of Pantolactone with Molecular Rotational Resonance Spectroscopy” just published in Chirality provides a detailed explanation of chiral analysis from method development, to AC/EE determination, and the creation of a routine targeted method. Since only the (R) stereoisomer of pantothenic acid has desirable… | Read article >>

BASF Adopts BrightSpec’s Broadband MRR Technology for Structural Elucidation

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Sept. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — BrightSpec announced today the start of operation of a broadband Molecular Rotational Resonance spectrometer at BASF’s research center in Ludwigshafen, Germany.BASF will utilize MRR spectroscopy for the concise structure elucidation of organic compounds where isomerism is an underlying question. Major applications comprise stereochemical analysis, including chirality, defining the… | Read article >>

Breakthrough publication in Journal of American Chemical Society (JACS)

May 20, 2021. BrightSpec is pleased to announce the breakthrough article on site-specific, high-purity deuteration enabled by MRR was just published in JACS (Journal of the American Chemical Society).  MRR’s ability to measure isotopes at specific sites in a rapid, straightforward, and definitive manner is unmatched in analytical chemistry.  Joseph Clark has published the first major work… | Read article >>

BrightSpec hosts MRR Symposium

BrightSpec hosted a MRR Symposium on March 30-31, 2021. This two-day event included presentations by a number of thought leaders from industry and academia as well as live demos and introductory courses. Replays of the Symposium are available on the BrightSpec web site free of charge. Click here to view full agenda and access the… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Published Article in Nature

May 20, 2020 BrightSpec congratulates Dean Harman and BrightSpec founder Brooks Pate along with  Jacob A. Smith, Katy B. Wilson, Reilly E. Sonstrom, Patrick J. Kelleher, Kevin D. Welch, Emmit K. Pert, Karl S. Westendorff, Diane A. Dickie, Xiaoping Wang for their publication in Nature.   A summary of the work and BrightSpec MRR’s role can… | Read article >>

BrightSpec scientist Alex Mikhonin to present at IFPAC 2020

Bethesda, MD — BrightSpec is pleased to be presenting at IFPAC. This year, Alex Mikhonin will be presenting “MRR: Emerging Technology for Isomer Selective Process Measurements” on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 – 10:45 am in the Brookside B room as part of Session: 9B – IX-B Sampling & Process Sensor Developments to Incorporate PAT and… | Read article >>

BrightSpec’s Daniel Armstrong scientific advisory board member to be awarded LCGC Lifetime Achievement and Emerging Leader in Chromatography Award

Room: Room W183A Session Number: 1-9 Tuesday, March 03, 2020: 1:30 PM – 4:55 PM This session honors the 2020 LCGC award winners. The work of the 2020 Lifetime Achievement awardee, Daniel W. Armstrong of the University of Texas at Arlington, spans a broad range, including HPLC, GC, SFC, and seminal work in enantiomeric separations… | Read article >>

BrightSpec’s CTO Justin Neill to present at SciX 2019

Palm Springs, CA — BrightSpec is pleased to be presenting at SciX. This year, CTO Justin Neill will be presenting “Enabling Faster Route Discovery and Process Optimization with Molecular Rotational Resonance Spectroscopy” on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 – 4:10-4:30 pm as part of Session: 19PMA04, Advanced Spectroscopic Techniques in Pharma. We look forward to seeing… | Read article >>

BrightSpec, Inc. Announces Series B Financing

Charlottesville, VA– March 1, 2019–BrightSpec, a life sciences instrumentation company offering fast, precise analysis of trace level chemical components, announced a $2.3 million Series B financing. The financing was led by MedVest Capital, and included participation from the University of Virginia Licensing and Ventures Group Seed Fund. Proceeds will be used to support corporate development… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Presentations at Pittcon on MRR Industrial and Pharmaceutical Reaction Monitoring Applications

Charlottesville, VA–February 20, 2019– At the upcoming Pittcon conference in Philadelphia, March 17-21, BrightSpec scientists Justin Neill and Alex Mikhonin will give the following presentations: Monday March 18, Specialty Gas Session, 9:30-9:50 am, session 320-4, Room 121C: “Direct Analysis of Trace Impurities Using Ultra-High Resolution MRR Spectroscopy”   Tuesday, March 19, SAS Symposium on Current and Emerging… | Read article >>

The Analytical Scientist features MRR 

see MRR on the Up //theanalyticalscientist.com/techniques-tools/mrr-on-the-up Could chiral tagging be the springboard for molecular rotational resonance spectroscopy’s rise to fame? We spoke to Justin Neill, Chief Technology Officer at BrightSpec – the company hoping to bring MRR into the spotlight. Frank van Geel, Joanna Cummings in The Analytical Scientist 18 Dec 2018

BrightSpec at SCIX in Atlanta (video)

ATLANTA– October 23, 2018__Justin Neill, CTO of BrightSpec, describes using MRR for enantiomer, diastereomer and regioisomer characterisation at the SCIX conference in Atlanta. see: //www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/product/81676/justin-neill-discusses-new-approaches-to-reaction-monitoring-for-small-molecule-structure-analysis/

The next phase: Using neural networks to identify gas-phase molecules

DOE/ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY–September 13, 2018–Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have begun to use neural networks to identify the structural signatures of molecular gases, potentially providing new and more accurate sensing techniques for researchers, the defense industry and drug manufacturers. This breakthrough work has been recognized as a finalist for… | Read article >>

The National Science Foundation awards $250,000 to BrightSpec, Inc.

Charlottesville, VA–August 20, 2018– The most recent award from the  NSF is supplemental support for the project entitled “A Programmable Residual Solvent Analyzer based on Fourier Transform Molecular Rotational Resonance (FT-MRR) Spectroscopy.”   With the amendment, the total NSF award to date for BrightSpec totals $1mm. About BrightSpec, Inc. BrightSpec delivers solutions for identification, quantification and structure… | Read article >>

Virginia Catalyst Announces $2.7 Million in Grants to Fund Collaborative Bioscience Research Initiatives

RICHMOND, VA – July 16, 2018 – The Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), now known as Virginia Catalyst, today announced that it has awarded a total of $2.7 million to six life and bioscience projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. These grants, which will be met with nearly $5.7 million in matching funds from… | Read article >>

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Acquires BrightSpec Spectrometer

Charlottesville, VA—Feb 8, 2018— BrightSpec announced today the sale of a BrightSpec MRR Discovery K-band spectrometer to University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.  The instrument is intended for both fundamental research and educational use. The patented BrightSpec Discovery™ series of instruments utilize an open, reconfigurable form factor to allow research chemists to integrate custom sample… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Tests Continuous Reaction Monitoring in Collaboration with UVA and VCU Medicines for All Institute

Charlottesville, VA—December 20, 2017— BrightSpec, in collaboration with research groups at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia, completed a successful test of MRR for analyzing and improving innovative drug manufacturing processes.  As part of the collaboration, a BrightSpec MRR Diastereomer/Conformer analyzer was installed at VCU for the near real-time monitoring of a continuous… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Completes First Dual-Band 260-290/520-580 GHz MRR Spectrometer

Charlottesville, VA—Dec 15, 2017— BrightSpec announced today the completion of a new instrument for chemical analysis and dynamics research for the US Army. The BrightSpec Discovery Series MRR instrument is intended for fundamental chemical dynamics research. In a first, the new instrument can be set up to analyze chemical species with frequency transitions in the… | Read article >>

BrightSpec and Cornes Technologies Announce Distribution Agreement

Charlottesville, VA and Tokyo, Japan, August 18, 2017 –BrightSpec, the MRR spectroscopy company, announced the appointment of Cornes Technologies of Japan as exclusive distributor for Japan. BrightSpec is the first company to bring to market a line of spectrometers for trace level chemical analysis using Fourier transform molecular rotational resonance (FT-MRR) spectroscopy. The result is… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Announces Successful Field Trial for Diastereomer Analysis

Charlottesville, VA—July 7, 2017—BrightSpec, the first company to commercialize chemical analyzers based on molecular rotational resonance (MRR) spectroscopy, announced today the initial field trial deployment of its Microwave Cavity Spectrometer for continuous synthesis analysis. The instrument utilizes the advanced analytics capabilities of MRR to directly measure diastereomer ratios on a chemical mixture, with no sample… | Read article >>

BrightSpec announces K-band Spectrometer for Educational and Academic Research

Charlottesville, VA—June 19, 2017—BrightSpec announced today at the International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy (ISMS) the release of the its Discovery K-band spectrometer for education and research applications. The BrightSpec Discovery K-Band (18 -26.5 GHz) spectrometer is designed for both fundamental research and educational applications. The reconfigurable form factor allows customers to integrate custom sample chambers,… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Licenses Chiral Tagging Technology for Chiral Analysis

Charlottesville, VA –May 18, 2017—BrightSpec announced today the exclusive technology license for a new technique for chiral analysis from the University of Virginia Licensing and Ventures Group. The licensed technology, entitled “Multiplexed Cavity-Enhanced Fourier Transform Microwave Spectrometer for Chiral Analysis” enables fast, precise measurement of enantiomer ratios in complex chemical mixtures, without the need for… | Read article >>

UVA Innovator of the Year Teaches The Civic Duties of Science

Charlottesville, VA — March 15, 2017 — Although he’s earned many titles and honors for his advancements in molecular research, Brooks Pate sees himself first as a citizen-scientist. The University of Virginia’s William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Chemistry is committed to conducting basic research for the public good. Pate and his research team are… | Read article >>

BrightSpec ONE Receives CE Mark

January 15, 2017 —CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—BrightSpec announced today the attainment of the CE Mark for the commercial sale in Europe of its BrightSpec ONE FT-MRR broadband spectrometer for trace gas analysis. CE Marking is a requirement for entering the European markets and certifies that the spectrometer conforms with a range of safety and engineering design standards…. | Read article >>

BrightSpec FT-MRR Spectrometer Ships to US Army

December 15, 2016—CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—BrightSpec announced today the shipment of a 75-110 GHz FT-MRR Discovery spectrometer to a US Army facility. The BrightSpec Fourier Transform-Molecular Rotational Resonance (FT-MRR) Broadband Discovery spectrometer is designed for research teams that require a high level of instrument form factor configurability, sample chamber interoperability, cross-technique analysis, and direct access to broadband… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Scientists to Present at ISMS

May 31, 2016 – CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – BrightSpec Inc. announced today that Dr. Justin Neill, CTO and Dr. Brent Harris, Director of Applications, will present work detailing performance and applications of FT-MRR spectroscopy at the 71st International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy, taking place at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, from 20-24th of June. Dr. Neill will… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Presents at CPAC Spring Meeting

May 2, 2016—SEATTLE—BrightSpec, the molecular resonance spectroscopy company, presented today at the 2016 CPAC spring meeting in Seattle, WA.  The talk was given by Brent Harris, PhD entitled: “High-resolution FT-MRR Spectroscopy (Fourier Transform Molecular Rotational Resonance) Trace residual impurities analysis without chromatography.”  Brent is Director of Applications Services at BrightSpec and is a co-inventor on… | Read article >>

The Optical Society Presents Meggars Award for 2016 to Brooks Pate

March 8, 2016—CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. —The Optical Society (OSA) announced the 2016 recipients of its prestigious awards and medals. The winner of the William F. Meggars Award is Brooks Pate, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Chemistry at the University of Virginia. The Meggars Award recognizes outstanding work in spectroscopy. Brooks Pate is being recognized… | Read article >>

Brooks Pate Named 2016 Herty Award Winner

March 7, 2016—ATLANTA—Professor Brooks H. Pate of the University of Virginia is the recipient of the 2016 Herty Medal as awarded by the Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society recognizing outstanding work and service by a chemist in the Southeast. Link: //georgia.sites.acs.org/awardsandhonors.htm Professor Pate is the inventor of the key enabling technology that is… | Read article >>

Chemical Physics Letters Editors’ Choice Articles

April 1, 2016 – A 2013 paper on broadband Fourier transform rotational spectroscopy was nominated to be one of the five publications chosen by David Clary, Editor of Chemical Physics Letters to be highlighted in Editors’ Choice. Editors’ Choice provides a selection of content, hand-picked by journal editors. BrightSpec is the only commercial supplier of… | Read article >>

Good Chemistry: Faster UVA Molecular Analysis Technology Fuels New Start-up

March 9, 2016– CHAROLOTTESVILLE, Va. There are people in the world – chemical engineers, astronomers, national defense scientists investigating an explosion – who need to know just what something is made of, down to the molecular level. Technology developed at the University of Virginia is speeding that process from days or weeks to just minutes…. | Read article >>

BrightSpec awarded $750,000 from NSF for pharmaceutical impurities analysis

January 27, 2016 – CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – BrightSpec, Inc. announced today the award of $750,000 Phase II SBIR in funding from the National Science Foundation for pharmaceutical impurities analysis using the BrightSpec millimeter wave FT-MRR spectrometer. The BrightSpec Fourier transform molecular rotational resonance (FT-MRR) spectrometer enables high resolution chemical analysis of small molecules in a complex mixture,… | Read article >>

University of Valladolid Acquires Broadband Chiral FT-MRR Spectrometer

January 27, 2016 – CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. BrightSpec, Inc. announced the delivery and installation of its Chiral FT-MRR Broadband microwave spectrometer at the Universidad de Valladolid in Valladolid, Spain.  The BrightSpec Chiral Fourier Transform-Molecular Rotational Resonance (FT-MRR) Broadband spectrometer enables researchers to perform a wide range of molecular analyses directly on complex chemical mixtures. The Chiral FT-MRR… | Read article >>

BrightSpec FT-MRR Broadband Spectrometer Ships to Europe

December 14, 2015 – Charlottesville, VA  Max Planck Institute acquires BrightSpec Discovery series for interstellar chemistry research. BrightSpec, Inc. announced the delivery and installation of its Discovery class millimeter wave spectrometer to the Max Planck Society in Germany.  The BrightSpec Fourier Transform-Molecular Rotational Resonance (FT-MRR) Broadband Discovery spectrometer enables researchers at the Max Planck Institute… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Ships to Argonne National Laboratory

November 25, 2015 – Charlottesville, VA Enhanced product offering enables insights in energy and combustion research. BrightSpec, Inc., the FT-MRR spectroscopy company, announced the delivery of its latest scientific instrumentation product to Argonne National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy research center.  The BrightSpec Fourier Transform-Molecular Rotational Resonance (FT-MRR) Broadband Discovery spectrometer is designed for… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Featured in UVA Licensing & Ventures Annual Report for 2014

October 20, 2015 – Charlottesville, Va — Each year the University of Virginia Licensing and Ventures Group (UVALVG) offers a series of articles on companies based on intellectual property developed at UVa. The inventor of BrightSpec technology, Brooks Pate, and co-founder Bob Lloyd were featured in the 2014 UVALVG Annual Report, after the company was… | Read article >>

Thomas Jefferson-Era Chemistry Lab Found at UVa Rotunda

October 16, 2015: CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (NEWSPLEX) — It was curiosity that lead Matt Schiedt to crawl into a brick hole in the Rotunda’s wall. Schiedt, a project manager for John G. Waite Associates, specializes in historic buildings. He is overseeing the renovation of the University of Virginia Rotunda and wanted to know how thick the walls… | Read article >>

Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation Awards over $2 Million to Fund Bioscience Research Initiatives

October 14, 2015 – RICHMOND, VA Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation Awards over $2 Million to Fund Bioscience Research Initiatives Projects to address Lyme disease, tissue engineering, brain cancer, anti-inflammatory therapeutics and pharmaceutical manufacturing The Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC/“the catalyst”) today announced that it has awarded $2.23 million in grants to five collaborative… | Read article >>

BrightSpec to present at Chirality 2015—the 27th International Symposium on Chiral Discrimination—in Boston

June 28, 2015—BrightSpec will present three presentations at Chirality 2015 in Boston, MA June 28-July 1.   The two posters and an oral presentation arise out of research sponsored at the University of Virginia in early 2015.  Brooks H. Pate will give a talk entitled “Chiral analysis of isopulegol by Fourier transform molecular rotational spectroscopy” in… | Read article >>

Visiting The International Microwave Symposium May 19-20, Phoenix AZ

May 1, 2015– The premier IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS) is being held at the Phoenix Convention Center (Phoenix, Arizona) during May 17-22, 2015. BrightSpec scientists will be in attendance for Microwave Week and look forward to meetings with conference attendees. If you would like to schedule a time please contact us through: sales(at)brightspec.com.

CPAC — BrightSpec to present on Chiral mixture analysis

April 15, 2015–BrightSpec will present a targeted overview of ‘Chiral Analysis in Complex Sample Mixtures with FT-MRR’ at the University of Washington’s Center for Process Analysis & Control (CPAC). The annual Spring meeting (May 11-12, 2015) brings together a consortium of sponsors recruited from all sectors of industry as well as government agencies.  A pdf… | Read article >>

BrightSpec to Exhibit At IFPAC 2015

November Dec 4, 2014 – Charlottesville, VA – BrightSpec, Inc. will contribute to the the IFPAC 2015 process analytical technology conference January 25-28 2015. In addition to exhibiting the BrightSpec FT-MRR Residual Solvent Analyzer, the company will present “The direct analysis of volatiles using Fourier transform molecular rotational resonance (FT-MRR) spectroscopy” in the Spectroscopic Technique… | Read article >>

BrightSpec to Present at Photonics West

November 22, 2014 – Charlottesville, VA –BrightSpec, Inc. announced today that the company will present at the 2015 Photonics West conference in San Francisco, February 7-12. The talk is part of the Terahertz, RF, Millimeter, and Submillimeter-Wave Technology and Applications VIII symposium on Thursday, February 12. Details are below: Fourier transform molecular rotational resonance spectroscopy… | Read article >>

Brooks Pate to give Harvard/MIT Physical Chemistry Seminar

October 24, 2014 – Brooks Pate, PhD, Chief Scientist of BrightSpec, Inc. and the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Chemistry at the University of Virginia will be guest lecturer at a Harvard/MIT Physical Chemistry Seminar November 6th 2014 at Pfizer Lecture Hall at Harvard as part of the Woodward Lectures in Chemical Sciences.  Brooks’ talk is entitled: High-Throughput Rotational Spectroscopy for Physical… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Announces 2014 EAS Presentations

October 27, 2014 – BrightSpec will present two posters at the 2014 Eastern Analytical Symposium from November 17-19 in Somerset, NJ.  We encourage you to come out, visit us at the booth or posters and learn about the instruments and techniques that BrightSpec offers. Abstracts Pharmaceutical residual solvent analysis using Fourier Transform Molecular Rotational Resonance… | Read article >>

BrightSpec nominated as a finalist for 2014 CBIC Breakthrough Award

April 2014 – The Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC) today announced the finalists for the CBIC Awards honoring central Virginia innovators. The public is invited to select the winner of the People’s Choice Navigator Award, which each year recognizes the area’s top leaders and guides advancing our region’s tech and innovation ecosystem. The CBIC Awards… | Read article >>

BrightSpec teams up with Agilent Technologies’ High-Speed Data Acquisition team to offer Broadband and Targeted MRR spectrometers for trace level gas sensing

March 2, 2014 – Pittcon Conference & Expo, Chicago, IL BrightSpec, Inc. today announced that it has teamed with the high-speed data acquisition team of Agilent Technologies Inc. to offer high speed Fourier transform molecular rotational resonance (FT-MRR) spectrometers. Agilent PCIe high-speed digitizers equipped with deep memory and real-time signal accumulation enable the high sensitivity… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Chief Scientist Brooks H. Pate wins Bomem-Michelson Award

March 19, 2013 – Brightspec’s chief science officer, Dr. Brooks H Pate will be presented with the Coblentz Society’s Bomem-Michelson Award sponsored by ABB at Pittcon 2013 in Phillidelphia. The Coblentz Society presents the Bomem-Michelson Award, which is dedicated to the memory of Professor A.E. Michelson, developer of the Michelson Interferometer. ABB sponsors the annual… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Chief Scientist Brooks H. Pate wins Earle K. Plyler Prize Molecular Spectroscopy & Dynamics

March 18, 2013 – Brightspec’s chief science officer, Dr. Brooks H. Pate will be presented with the Earle K. Plyler Price for Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics at the March 2013 American Physical Society meeting in Baltimore. The award is presented for the development of innovative microwave spectroscopy techniques that take full advantage of new technologies,… | Read article >>

BrightSpec Selected as Participant in Summer ’12 NSF iCorps Program

July 9, 2012 – BrightSpec will paticipate in an intensive 8 week market discovery program aimed at building a foundation for commercialization of innovative academic research with high potential for market acceptance. The program is modeled after a Stanford Business School class, The Lean LaunchPad, taught by Steven Blank. Over those 8 weeks BrightSpec will… | Read article >>