Bruker's (BRKR) New Collaboration to Use MALDI Biotyper System
Bruker Corporation BRKR recently announced a collaboration and quality agreement with the medical device company, Accelerate Diagnostics Inc. AXDX. The agreement enables the validation of Bruker’s MALDI Biotyper sirius instruments and Sepsityper software with Accelerate Diagnostics' Arc system for subsequent registration in the United States and the EMEA markets.
Bruker’s MALDI Biotyper solution is designed for in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) use in clinical microbiology markets. The recent development will also fortify the company’s Microbiology division, which belongs to the BSI (Bruker Scientific Instruments) CALID segment.
Significance of the Arc System
A leading IVD company, Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc. is dedicated to providing solutions for the global challenges of antibiotic resistance and sepsis. The Accelerate Arc system — which includes the Accelerate Arc Module and BC kit — is an innovative, automated positive blood culture sample preparation platform that was launched and commercialized in 2022.
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Tailored for clinical laboratories, the Arc system enables the on-demand processing of samples without the need for an overnight culture incubation, reducing the wait time for identification results. The system is designed to compete with molecular positive blood culture identification solutions.
News in Detail
Using Bruker's MALDI Biotyper system, the Arc system’s simple load-and-go workflow automates directly from positive blood culture sample preparation for downstream microbial identification. Labs will be able to leverage the breadth of their Bruker MALDI-Biotyper identification library in combination with rapid phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility results using the Accelerate Pheno system and the Accelerate WAVE system, which is currently under development and planned for future release.
Per the company’s representative, Bruker's MALDI Biotyper with Accelerate Diagnostics' Arc system to automate positive blood culture sample preparation and rapid microbial identification will be a valuable addition to many laboratories. In particular, the combination offers the potential to reduce the likelihood of cross-reactivity and false positive results that come with rapid molecular tests.
The collaboration marks an important step as both companies are committed to helping laboratories in the important fight against sepsis with their leading products.
Industry Prospects
Per a research report, the global microbial identification market was valued at $3.2 billion in 2020 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 12.2% by 2025.
Other Developments of the BSI CALID Segment
One of CALID Group’s divisions, Bruker Optics, designs, manufactures and distributes research, analytical and process analysis instruments and solutions based on infrared and Raman molecular spectroscopy and imaging technologies. The segment headlined on a few occasions recently.
Last month, BRKR announced a majority investment in the Swiss high-tech company, Miro Analytical AG, complementing the Bruker Optics gas-analysis spectroscopy portfolio with fast, compact, highest-precision QCL (Quantum Cascade Laser) multi-trace gas analyzers. The combined expertise will advance climate research and environmental pollution analysis as well as industrial trace-gas monitoring solutions.
The company also had a notable tender win in September 2023, wherein the largest German airport, FRA, will modernize passenger security with up to 220 Bruker high-performance explosives trace detector (ETD) systems DE-tector flex. These will replace the earlier-generation Bruker ETD systems at the Frankfurt airport.
Price Performance
In the past year, shares of BRKR have decreased 0.8% compared with the industry’s decline of 18.8%.
Zacks Rank and Key Picks
Bruker currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Haemonetics HAE and DexCom DXCM, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Haemonetics’ stock has decreased 1.3% in the past year. Earnings estimates for Haemonetics have increased from $3.82 to $3.86 in 2023 and $4.07 to $4.11 in 2024 in the past 30 days.
HAE’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 16.1%. In the last reported quarter, it posted an earnings surprise of 5.3%.
Estimates for DexCom’s 2023 earnings per share have increased from $1.23 to $1.43 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have increased 3.3% in the past year compared with the industry’s decline of 3.3%.
DXCM’s earnings surpassed estimates in all the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 36.4%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an average earnings surprise of 47.1%.
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