PNNL researchers have constructed the first-ever high-throughput, or extremely fast, Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance, or FTICR, mass spectrometer. The system will provide an unprecedented ability to thoroughly identify and characterize proteins. Measurements of protein abundance levels at different times are key to understanding on a molecular level cellular function and disease progression, treatment and prevention.
"Our system's advantages are simple yet significant. We can identify a larger number of total proteins and more of the less abundant proteins, and we can do both more quickly than current approaches," said Richard D. Smith, PNNL principal investigator. "These advances mean we can get to the answers behind major scientific questions more efficiently and knowledgeably, such as how a disease progresses, and what can be done about it. The end goal is to gain the insights needed to solve these problems."
Called PROMS for Protein Mass Spectrometer, the instrument is a 9.4 tesla FTICR system manufactured by Massachusetts-based Bruker Daltonics Inc. that PNNL researchers extensively modified with hardware and software tools that enable identification of an extremely wide range of proteins.
The system has an exceptional capability for identifying proteins that exist in small quantities - with sensitivities up to 100 times greater than other methods. While small in quantity, these low-level proteins often play important r
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Contact: Staci Maloof
staci.maloof@pnl.gov
509-372-6313
DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
3-Sep-2002