mass spectrometry Archives

Dendrimers: Improving calibration standards for mass spectrometry

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Professor Scott M Grayson has developed and optimised SpheriCal®, MS calibrants based on dendrimers – perfectly branched compounds, that offer better standards for calibration in mass spectrometry.

Soft-ionization mass spectrometry (MS) techniques for the analysis of peptides, proteins, and macromolecules are gaining popularity in the medical research community. Specifically, matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) can identify high molecular weight compounds with accuracy and minimal fragmentation of the sample, but precise and regular calibration with standards of a known mass is needed. Professor Scott M Grayson […]

New frontiers in personalised biomonitoring through fingertip sweat analysis

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Christopher Gerner develops a new assay for finger sweat analysis which will assist medical professionals in the personalised monitoring metabolic pathways

Robust analytical methods are the first fundamental step for the understanding of physiological mechanisms in health and disease. Dr Christopher Gerner and his colleagues from the University of Vienna, Austria, have developed a straightforward assay for finger sweat analysis to assist clinicians in personalised monitoring of metabolic pathways. The team have devised the metabo-tip sampling assay, which promises to be a […]

Amino acids bombarded with ionising radiation – what breaks first?

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Radiation can cause abnormal cellular behaviour.

Ionising radiation, including high-energy electrons, is usually something best avoided. However, nuclear accidents and even medical tools mean that human tissue is occasionally exposed to it. After the ‘Atomic Age’ of the mid-1900s, understanding the effect of radiation on the human body has been recognised as of paramount importance. Dr Jelena Tamuliene’s most recent research at Vilnius University is into […]

Proteomics reveals new possibilities in the fight against infection

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The work of Dr Jennifer Geddes-McAlister at the University of Guelph investigates the interactions between hosts and pathogens to uncover new treatment options to combat infections. Her lab uses a range of techniques centered around proteomics, the study of proteins, to progress knowledge of fungal and bacterial infections in humans and agricultural crops. The results of this research can be […]

Therapeutic drug monitoring of methotrexate in disease

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Professor Dr Robert de Jonge, Dr Gerrit Jansen, Ittai Muller MSc and Helen Gosselt MSc, Amsterdam University Medical Center, are pioneering analytical approaches which can be used to understand why patients respond differently to the anchor drug used to manage rheumatoid arthritis, called methotrexate. Their work has begun to unravel the key factors behind the mechanism of action of methotrexate, […]

Let’s hear it for the proteome

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Hearing loss is one of the most common sensory impairments, affecting 250 million people worldwide. The causes of deafness, such as exposure to loud noise, are relatively well known, but exactly how they result in hearing loss remains unclear. Dr Jeffrey Savas, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, USA, heads up a lab dedicated to […]