Vanquish Neo UHPLC for The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTACT
This proposal seeks funds to purchase a Thermo Scientific Vanquish Neo UHPLC for upfront peptide
separation prior to mass spectrometric analysis for The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical
Innovation & Technology in Jupiter, Fl. The system will be placed in the Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics
Core and coupled to an Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid mass spectrometer. The instrument will serve two primary
purposes: 1) replacement of the old EASY-nLC 1000 HPLC from Thermo Scientific which will no longer be
serviceable past February 2024 (product line is being retired end of 2023), and 2) sustain bottom-up
proteomics services and experimentation for over 30 investigators of the institute and neighboring and national
institutions, annually.
Four major users from The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, the
University of Miami, and Seattle Children's Research Institute, with 17 active NIH-funded grants, have been
identified with current and future research projects, which ensures immediate and long-term continued use of
this instrument. There are also 7 additional minor users. The group of major users will utilize the instrument for
peptide separations in front of Orbitrap-based mass spectrometry bottom-up proteomic analyses. The specific
research projects of the major users that will require bottom-up proteomics vary but will globally address
problems related to neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases, drug abuse, and HIV infection and
treatment.
The Vanquish Neo UHPLC is a new liquid chromatography system by Thermo Scientific that provides all-in-
one nano-, capillary- and micro-flows compatible with high sensitivity LC-MS workflows, reproducible peptide
separations, and ease of use. It is also importantly serviceable as a bundled system with the Orbitrap Fusion
Tribrid mass spectrometer which is also manufactured by Thermo Scientific. As such it is well suited to sustain
current Orbitrap-based bottom up services (qualitative and quantitative proteome investigations). The Vanquish
Neo UHPLC instrument will be housed in the Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Core facility, a central mass
spectrometry shared resource at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute in Jupiter, FL (formerly Scripps
Research FL/The Scripps Research Institute). The Core is administered by the Institution, within a well-
structured Core framework of 11 other Facilities, and includes Oversight and Advisory committees. There is
very strong financial support from the local Institution and the University of Florida to ensure long-term
utilization of the instrument. This includes financial support for service agreements for the next 5 years and
salary support of a full-time Ph.D. mass spectrometrist to operate the instrument (Scientific Core Director) and
a Research Assistant II staff scientist.
The long-term impact to The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology
and regional institutions will be the addition of a new HPLC that will sustain LC-MS resources for the scientific
and medical research community, and the next generation of scientists.
