Waters Launches Industry's Most Sensitive and Robust Clinical IVD System with Xevo TQ Absolute XR IVD Mass Spectrometer

• Brings Xevo™ TQ Absolute XR Mass Spectrometer's industry-leading tandem quadrupole MS sensitivity to clinical applications across women's health, cancer assessment, and toxicology.
• Offers 5x greater sensitivity vs. in-class instruments with lower detection limits in smaller sample volumes, introducing a step-change in analytical performance for complex biological matrices.
• Up to six-fold increase in robustness with StepWave™ XR Ion Guide vs. Xevo TQ Absolute MS, advancing laboratory productivity and performance consistency.

MILFORD, Mass., July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) 2026 Annual Meeting — Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) today announced the launch of the Xevo TQ Absolute XR IVD Mass Spectrometer, expanding its MassTrak™ IVD System portfolio of LC-MS/MS Systems with a solution that combines class-leading sensitivity and enhanced robustness for clinical applications. The new system builds on the industry-renowned step-change performance of the Xevo TQ Absolute IVD Mass Spectrometer, which established the benchmark for sensitivity among IVD-compliant tandem quadrupole mass spectrometers.¹

Developed for routine laboratory testing requiring IVD-compliant systems, the Xevo TQ Absolute XR IVD System delivers exceptional trace-level analytical performance in complex biological matrices. With up to five times greater sensitivity than other instruments in its class,¹ the system enables lower limits of detection and reliable quantification of challenging analytes from smaller sample volumes. This enhanced sensitivity is critical for applications requiring accurate measurement at very low concentrations, such as low-level estradiol testing for women's health and hormone-related cancer assessment,² and hair toxicology³ for detecting drugs of abuse and documenting long-term exposure.

"Waters' IVD Systems provide clinical diagnostic laboratories with highly precise and flexible solutions that help clinicians make informed decisions when every test matters," said Jianqing Bennett, Senior Vice President, Waters Advanced Diagnostics, Waters Corporation. "With the introduction of the Xevo TQ Absolute XR IVD System, Waters is delivering a new standard of sensitivity and robustness that can significantly reduce downtime and improve laboratory productivity. Waters is uniquely positioned to help clinical laboratories develop reliable methods for complex analytes and expand their testing capabilities to meet growing demand across women's health, cancer assessment, and toxicology applications."

Featuring the new StepWave™ XR Ion Guide, the Xevo TQ Absolute XR IVD System delivers improved robustness, enabling ion ratio consistency for up to six times longer compared with the Xevo TQ Absolute IVD System.⁴ This advancement gives laboratories greater confidence in consistent performance when analyzing complex clinical samples containing phospholipids, salts, and other matrix components.

"Having the Xevo TQ Absolute XR IVD Systems in our laboratory is a major advancement for the company," said James Nutt, Head of Laboratory Operations, Cansford Laboratories. "The systems strengthen our analytical reliability, have the potential to greatly expand our substance testing capabilities, and improve operational efficiency. They deliver better signal stability and improved sensitivity, which is especially important when working close to decision cut-offs in complex matrices such as human hair. This gives us greater confidence in our results and provides additional assurance when measuring analytes at very low concentrations."

This new MassTrak LC-MS/MS IVD System includes the ACQUITY™ UPLC I-Class PLUS System with the Xevo TQ Absolute XR IVD Mass Spectrometer. The ACQUITY UPLC I-Class PLUS System is designed to deliver fast, accurate sample analysis that enhances mass spectrometer performance and simplifies the characterization of complex samples. Together, the integrated system delivers industry-leading sensitivity, enhanced robustness for complex sample matrices, and a user-friendly design that helps maximize laboratory uptime.

The MassTrak LC-MS/MS IVD System with the Xevo TQ Absolute XR Mass Spectrometer is available to order now.

Additional Resources:

• Product Page
• Application Note: Utilizing the New Xevo TQ Absolute XR Mass Spectrometer for the LC-MS/MS Analysis of Serum Estrogens for Clinical Research
• Application Note: Extraction and Analysis of a Definitive Drug Panel in Hair Samples by UHPLC-MS/MS for Forensic Toxicology

Xevo, StepWave, MassTrak, ACQUITY, and Waters are trademarks of Waters Corporation or its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

About Waters Corporation:

Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, our innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology. We collaborate with customers around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, ensure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combating antibiotic resistance. Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, our passionate team of ~16,000 colleagues turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide. For more information, please visit www.waters.com/about. 

References:

1. Waters comparison of Xevo TQ Absolute XR IVD vs. existing Waters Xevo TQ-XS IVD and the SCIEX 6500 IVD, which are the next two most sensitive IVD-compliant tandem quadrupole products currently available for commercial sale. 

2. Application Note: "Utilizing the New Xevo TQ Absolute XR Mass Spectrometer for the LC-MS/MS Analysis of Serum Estrogens for Clinical Research"; published May 20, 2026.

3. Application Note: "Extraction and Analysis of a Definitive Drug Panel in Hair Samples by UHPLC-MS/MS for Forensic Toxicology"; published June 10, 2025.

4. Application Note on Product Webpage. In a well-controlled experiment, performance was maintained for up to six times the duration on the Xevo TQ Absolute XR MS compared to the Xevo TQ Absolute MS; more than 12,000 samples of pesticides in fish feed matrix were analyzed.

Contact:
Molly Gluck
Head of External Communications
Waters Corporation
508.498.9732
molly_gluck@waters.com