Biomedical investigators at Stony Brook, as well as collaborative researchers at neighboring institutions such as Brookhaven National Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, now have access to two of the most advanced systems developed for biomolecular analysis. The Proteomics Center purchased and installed two systems from Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., a Waltham, Mass., based worldwide producer of high-end laboratory equipment.

Robert Rieger, a mass spectrometrist at the Proteomics Center, tests samples with the new equipment.

The two instruments are the TSQ Quantum Access mass spectrometer, an instrument that allows for identification of metabolites and other biomolecules as well as quantitative analysis at extremely low concentrations, and the LTQ linear ion trap mass spectrometer for advanced proteomic analysis. Both instruments are interfaced to unique HPLC systems to isolate biomolecules and introduce them into the mass spectrometers.

“These state-of-the-art instruments enable our investigators to better explore biochemical mechanisms leading to diabetes, cancer and heart disease,” says Charles R. Iden, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacological Sciences and Director of the Proteomic Center. “The capacity of both instruments will help us to define new biochemical markers that will hopefully lead to new targeted therapies for these diseases.”

Dr. Iden says that TSQ Quantum Access has high sensitivity and selectivity, critical features that permit low-level quantification of many different biomolecules. Molecular identification and quantification are critical to the research efforts of many School of Medicine investigators exploring cell metabolism and seeking to develop targeting therapies.

The instrument is an integrated platform for the analysis of known compounds and unknowns in the complex matrices associated with biomedical, environmental and food safety analysis. It is designed to quantify metabolites, lipids and other biomolecules; it may also be used for environmental analysis of pesticides, other toxicants and pharmaceutical byproducts in water and food residues.

The LTQ linear ion trap mass spectrometer advances proteomic analysis at the Center. It is interfaced to a Dionex nanoflow HPLC that is capable of 2D separations using both ion exchange and reverse phase chromatography. The instrument can deliver more structural information than any other ion trap mass spectrometer on the market.

Its main uses are for efficient identification of proteins and sites of protein modification. Other applications include metabolite identification, drug and forensics screening, and biopolymer sequencing using its (MS)ⁿ capability.

For more information about the two new instruments and their uses at the Proteomics Center, please visit the Center in the Basic Science Tower (level 9, Rm. 167) or contact Dr. Iden at 444-3789.