Pressure BioSciences inked a deal with another local equipment maker to co-market their sample preparation devices to mass spectrometry labs.

Ric Schumacher, CEO of the Easton, Mass.-based pressure cycling technology maker, told MassDevice the deal with Lexington’s Protein Forest Inc. allows the firms to expand their sales footprints even as they work to integrate their complementary technologies.

“In essence, we’ve doubled each other’s sales forces,” Schumacher told us. “Protein Forest is a fantastic company, they have a beautiful niche in the mass spectrometry world.”

Similar to PBI’s technology, which uses extremely high pressure to break down protein samples, Protein Forest’s technology fractionates and concentrates proteins or peptides by isoelectric focusing. Because the two processes can be used in tandem, Schumacher said, there’s a great deal of potential synergy between the companies.

“They’re calling on mass spec labs, as we are, but they don’t compete with us. In fact, our technologies enhance each other,” he explained. “This is also a strategic research and development agreement. We believe there are things that can be done to enhance our technologies using the other technology. We’re going to work on developing peripherals or add-ons we believe will enhance the other technology.”

There are about 10,000 mass spectrometry labs worldwide working on protein research, according to the press release announcing the deal; Schumacher estimated that there are 3,000 such labs in the U.S. alone.