Tuesday, October 3, 2023
10/3/2023
Summary The Cellular Mass Spectrometry Facility has created unique protocols for the characterization of individual cells and cellular organelles, for high spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging of tissues and for correlated molecular imaging. These measurement approaches are used by a broad range of NIH-supported researchers, locally at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), regionally at collaborating institutions in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, and nationally. The overarching need is to replace two separate decade-old instruments with a new matrix assisted laser-desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometer that has greatly enhanced performance specifications in terms of detection limits, mass resolution, ion mobility separations, analyses speeds, and spatial resolution, among other advancements. More specifically, the requested Bruker timsTOF fleX MALDI-2 system incorporates multiple design improvements, including MALDI-2 post-ionization, trapped ion mobility, parallel accumulation serial fragmentation, dual sources, and many other design improvements compared to alternative instruments. These advanced features and the associated figures of merit are enabling for a range of NIH-supported users requiring single cell and tissue imaging measurements. The major molecular targets include lipids, metabolites, peptides (including endogenous D-amino acid-containing peptides) and proteins. Because the instrument is considered a strategic acquisition by UIUC, the administration is supplying institutional funds to support the service contracts in years 2–5. This instrument will directly benefit three NIH- supported centers and more than a dozen additional NIH-supported major users; the research of a broad portfolio of research projects will be catalyzed with the acquisition of the Bruker timsTOF flex MALDI-2 instrument.
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