Texas Business reports:  ARLINGTON— Shimadzu Scientific Instruments  opened the Shimadzu Center for Advanced Analytical Chemistry at The University of Texas at Arlington.

Located in the university’s Chemistry & Physics Building, the center contains $6 million of chromatography, mass spectrometry and spectroscopy equipment, which is the largest installation of Shimadzu analytical instrumentation in the Western Hemisphere.

“We are honored that a company with the worldwide reach of Shimadzu has chosen to invest in UT Arlington’s research program,” said James D. Spaniolo, president of UT Arlington, in a prepared statement. “This equipment will provide opportunities for faculty and for students in a laboratory that is truly on the cutting edge of analytical possibilities.”

The Shimadzu Center will allow researchers in the UT Arlington College of Science and the College of Engineering to access enhanced capabilities for trace qualitative and quantitative analysis. Shimadzu’s instruments will be used in the research of preventions and treatments for illnesses such as cancer and malaria, as well as in the development of nanofabrication materials for industry.

In concert with the opening of the Center, Kevin Schug has been named the Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry. Schug is an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UT Arlington and will oversee the new laboratory.

“UT Arlington has a dynamic science program focused on the future, and Shimadzu is pleased and eager to support such a research institution,” said Shuzo Maruyama, president at Shimadzu Scientific Instruments. “In addition, Kevin Schug is one of the leading young scientists in the country, and it will be a pleasure to work with him and the entire team at UT Arlington on future projects.”

 Examples of some of the research projects that will be aided by the Shimadzu instruments are:

-- Using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry equipment to test ways to analyze cuticular lipids that can reveal age in a species of mosquito known for spreading malaria.

-- Using mass spectrometry to analyze chemicals in the environment that could interfere with normal hormone functions and possibly fuel cancer growth.

-- Researching biodegradable fluorescent polymers, which can deliver chemotherapeutic agents to cancers and enable cancer detection with optical imaging, through the use of high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Shimadzu Scientific Instruments (SSI) is the American subsidiary of Shimadzu Corp., headquartered in Kyoto, Japan.

Founded in 1875, Shimadzu is a $3 billion multinational corporation with three major divisions: Medical Diagnostics, Aerospace/Industrial and Analytical Instruments. In the United States, SSI has a network of more than 50 locations providing local and regional sales, service and technical support.