A Modern Flexible Mass Spectrometry Platform for Advancing Proteomics Research

项目总结/文摘

Project Summary/Abstract Stanford researchers are in acute need of a new Orbitrap tribrid mass spectrometer to serve their demanding proteomics needs. This instrument will replace two 11-year-old hybrid Orbitrap instruments which are no longer up to the task. The new instrument will be housed and maintained by Stanford University Mass Spectrometry (SUMS), the campus-wide shared proteomics resource for over 20 years. The previous instruments served well in their time, and our expert staff has been able to coax out cutting edge data long beyond the instruments’ effective lifespans through capable, careful collaboration with hundreds of researchers, but time is now of the essence. As the field of proteomics has evolved from relatively simple, untargeted discovery methods to a experimentally diverse, bioinformatically rich, and robustly integrated suite of research approaches, the existing Orbitrap platforms can no longer meet the demands of today’s NIH-funded biomedical research. The need goes far beyond simple upgrades for greater analytical sensitivity or faster scanning rates; our decade old instruments simply cannot perform the complex, multi-dimensional experiments needed by our researchers on campus today. Numerous NIH-funded projects with pressing bioanalytical questions are being delayed or limited in scope until we are able to provide robust, modern instrument capabilities. Our shared facility maintains an accomplished scientific staff with the necessary technical expertise and drive to support these projects, and our brand-new purpose-built mass spectrometry laboratory provides the ideal physical infrastructure to accommodate new instrumentation seamlessly. Plus, SUMS’ proven record of success as a shared facility for two decades demonstrates the administrative processes are in place to deploy this new mass spectrometer to work on NIH-funded biomedical research projects immediately. Our research community fully backs this proposal as critical to advancing their scientific efforts, which span complex topics in human development, degenerative disease, allergies, infectious disease, and immune response.