mzio, Polymer Factory and CeMOS launch LIMMIC for multidimensional mass spectrometry calibration
mzio, Polymer Factory and CeMOS have launched LIMMIC, a two-year BMWE-funded R&D cooperation to deliver universal polymer calibration standards and integrated mzmine software for LC-IMS-MS and MS imaging.
Two-year R&D cooperation funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) will deliver universal polymer calibration standards and integrated software for LC-IMS-MS and MS imaging, with a first proof-of-concept on oxidative stress and oxidized lipids in disease-relevant samples.
Bremen, Stockholm and Mannheim — May 2026 — Three partners have launched the joint R&D project LIMMIC (Liquid Chromatography Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry Imaging Calibration): the biotech software company mzio GmbH, the polymer chemistry specialist Polymer Factory, and the CeMOS Research and Transfer Center at Technical University of Applied Sciences Mannheim. The two-year cooperation officially started on 1 April 2026 and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).
A universal calibration workflow for multidimensional mass spectrometry
Modern mass spectrometry methods can combine several orthogonal separation dimensions: liquid chromatography (retention time), ion mobility (collision cross-section, CCS), mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) and, in MS imaging, spatial coordinates (x, y). Calibrating these dimensions in a comparable, reproducible way across instruments and laboratories is still one of the biggest practical bottlenecks in clinical research and small molecule applications, including metabolomics and lipidomics.
LIMMIC addresses this gap end to end. Polymer Factory will design and synthesize a new generation of dendron-based polymer calibration standards. mzio will develop the corresponding software modules and integrate them into the widely used mzmine software platform. CeMOS will develop standardized lipidomics workflows for the investigation of oxidized lipids.
Voices from the partners
“LIMMIC lets us turn mzmine into a true multidimensional calibration hub. Researchers will be able to align retention time, m/z and mobility across LC-IMS-MS and MS imaging runs more accurately, improving overall annotation quality.”
— Dr. Robin Schmid, CSO of mzio GmbH and project lead for the mzio subproject
“This project enables Polymer Factory to show the uniqueness of our dendritic standards – delivering highly reliable performance in several dimensions. We look forward to enable true normalization and calibration over different platforms and labs.”
— Prof. Dr. Michael Malkoch, CTO of Polymer Factory
“Investigating the role of oxidized lipids is essential for advancing our understanding of lipid metabolism in cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and kidney diseases. Through LIMMIC, we will develop innovative lipidomics workflows that will push the boundaries of current industrial lipidomics, and strengthen collaboration between academia and industry.”
— Prof. Dr. Carsten Hopf, CeMOS, Technical University of Applied Sciences Mannheim
About the partners
mzio GmbH is a Bremen, Germany-based biotech software company dedicated to advancing metabolomics, lipidomics, small molecule analysis, and life science research. As the developers of the open-source mzmine platform, mzio provides professional software, services, and support to the global research community. www.mzio.io
Polymer Factory Sweden AB is a Stockholm-based company specializing in dendritic polymers for various applications. With the calibration platform SpheriCal®, the company supplies products to mass spectrometry labs around the globe to enable accurate and precise measurements.
CeMOS Research and Transfer Center, Mass Spectrometry and Optical Spectroscopy at Technical University of Applied Sciences Mannheim, is a leading center for MALDI mass spectrometry imaging and an official partner site of the EU Research Infrastructure Consortium EU-OPENSCREEN. Through the M2Aind Partnership for Innovation in Health Industry, TU oAS Mannheim actively bridges applied research and industrial innovation to accelerate translational health industry applications.
Contacts
mzio GmbH
Dr. Ansgar Korf, CEO
Altenwall 26, 28195 Bremen, Germany
ansgar.korf@mzio.io
Polymer Factory
Dr. Jens Sommertune, Product Manager
Teknikringen 48, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden
Jens.sommertune@polymerfactory.com
CeMOS, Technical University of Applied Sciences Mannheim
Prof. Dr. Carsten Hopf
Head of CeMOS Research and Transfer Center
Speaker, M2Aind Partnership for Innovation in Health Care Industry
Head, Institute for Instrumental Analytics and Bioanalytics
Mass Spectrometry Partner Site of EU-OPENSCREEN
Paul-Wittsack-Straße 10, 68163 Mannheim, Germany
c.hopf@th-mannheim.de
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