Bio-Rad Announces New Release of Its KnowItAll Spectroscopy Software: Features Enhanced Technologies for Spectral Search Optimization, Quality Control, and Deformulation

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a global provider of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, has announced a new release of its KnowItAll® spectroscopy software.

One of the key enhancements of the new release is “Optimized Corrections,” a breakthrough patent-pending technology that performs a computationally complex set of corrections on all query and reference spectra in a search to find the optimal match between the query and each reference spectrum. Multiple corrections are applied automatically to compensate for differences between spectra caused by the variability of different instruments and accessories and other factors including human error.

KnowItAll’s Optimized Corrections yield better matches to reference spectra than can be attained using rigid search algorithms alone or with manual methods to optimize spectra for searching. This feature is critical as the inflexible mathematical algorithms traditionally employed in spectral searching cannot compensate for errors in spectra that are flawed. Moreover, while manual corrections can be made by expert spectroscopists, those less experienced in spectroscopy are often unaware of how to perform the necessary corrections on their sample spectrum to achieve the best result.

“The addition of Bio-Rad’s patent-pending Optimized Corrections technology highlights Bio-Rad’s continued commitment to adding spectral intelligence to its software,” said Gregory M. Banik, PhD, Bio-Rad General Manager, Informatics. “The combination of intelligent software with a comprehensive collection of spectral data helps scientists make faster and more accurate analyses,” he said.

KnowItAll 2015 also features two new software applications as well as the addition of spectra to its collection of Bio-Rad spectral databases that include:

• KnowItAll QC Expert™ – The KnowItAll QC Expert 21 CFR Part 11-compliant software performs a rapid quality check of a sample IR or Raman spectrum against a “gold standard” reference spectrum to verify that a material meets control specifications. The software takes the validation a step further by also comparing the sample to a reference database to ensure that the sample not only matches the selected reference spectrum but also does not match anything else in the database. With applications in the pharmaceutical, food, consumer products, and chemical industries, KnowItAll QC Expert is a secure, yet simple solution for quality control.
• KnowItAll Deformulation Expert™ – KnowItAll Deformulation Expert™ is a new technology that suggests the formulation of commercial products. KnowItAll Deformulation Expert has applications in reverse engineering of formulated products, competitive analysis, and patent infringement litigation.
• New Spectral Data – Bio-Rad added over 90,000 reference spectra to its data collections including ATR-IR, IR, Raman, HNMR, CNMR, XNMR, and mass spectra.