Mass spectrometry can accurately measure the mass of molecules and provide information on their detailed structure, allowing their identification, as well as determining their concentration in complex samples with very high sensitivity. Ion mobility mass spectrometry can even provide information on the shapes of molecules. It can analyse thousands of different molecules in a single sample, including molecules across a wide mass range, from small molecules like glucose, which has a mass of 180 Da, to large proteins and protein complexes with masses greater than 500,000 Da. Different experimental methods are used depending on the type of information desired.
We have particular expertise in the analysis of lipids and oxidized lipid species, protein identification and the mapping of redox-based post-translational modifications.
Select Series Cyclic Ion Mobility mass spectrometer
Aston’s Select Series Cyclic Ion Mobility mass spectrometer from Waters TM is a state-of-the-art research instrument. It provides flexible analytical workflows for molecular analysis and high-resolution ion mobility separation, which can be tailored to the research question, across the full mass range.
It is open to the UK scientific community, with a particular emphasis on member institutions of the Midlands Mass Spectrometry Group (MMSG, part of Midlands Innovation). The instrument was funded by the BBSRC 18ALERT programme (BB/S01943X/1) and a generous contribution from Waters, with whom we continue to collaborate for the development of the instrument.
Waters Select Series Cyclic Ion Mobility mass spectrometer
SCIEX 5500 and 5600
These are our workhorse instruments for routine analysis. The 5600 TripleTOF is a fast-scanning Q-TOF ideally suited to discovery experiments and high-resolution quantitative analysis. It is mainly used for proteomics and analysis of oxidative post-translational modifications. The 5500 QTrap is used for sensitive targeted quantification of molecules from complex mixtures, especially oxysterols and phospholipids.
Dionex Ultimate3000 HPLC stack connected to the SCIEX 5500 QQLIT mass spectrometer
Nanospray source on the SCIEX 5600 TripleTOF mass spectrometer, used for proteomics and oxPTM analysis
Funders
- BBSRC
- European Commission FP7 ERDF and Horizon 2020
- Waters TM
Accessing the instrumentation
The laboratory is open to collaborators and trained research users. Access to the Select Series Cyclic system will be based on instrument availability, the scientific excellence of the project, feasibility of the experiments, alignment with BBSRC strategic goals and a demonstrated need for the capability of the equipment.
For further details on accessing this equipment, please contact Professor Corinne Spickett c.m.spickett@aston.ac.uk.