Purchase of a Thermo Fisher Scientific LTQ Orbitrap XL Mass Spectrometer

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests funds to purchase a Thermo Fisher Scientific LTQ Orbitrap XL liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer for the University of Georgia. This instrument will be housed in the Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry (PAMS) Facility, which is a core facility that provides mass spectrometry service to the scientific community of the entire university. This instrument will provide liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) capabilities that are not currently available in the PAMS facility, but that are required by a significant number of NIH-funded researchers at UGA. This instrument will support the research efforts of nine major users with fifteen NIH grants as well as 16 well-funded minor users, representing 11 different departments and four colleges across the university. The projects of the investigators include studies of human pathogens and parasites, insect vectors of human disease, fundamental investigations of the mechanisms of cancer, discovery of cancer biomarkers that can be used for early detection, neurochemistry, and basic studies of biology, all of which directly impact public health. The instrument will be used primarily for proteomic analysis, and to a lesser degree for lipidomic analysis. Protein analyses include identification, quantitation, and post-translational modification mapping. Capillary scale HPLC will be used on protein proteolytic digests, and analysis will include high resolution, accurate mass measurements and tandem mass spectrometry using collisionally induced dissociation and electron transfer dissociation. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The mass spectrometer that will be purchased with the funding of this proposal will provide analytical support for the research activities of nine major users who hold 15 NIH grants, as well as 16 minor users, most of whom are funded by NIH, or participate in NIH-funded research. The projects of the investigators include studies of human pathogens and parasites, insect vectors of human disease, fundamental investigations of the mechanisms of cancer, discovery of cancer biomarkers that can be used for early detection, and basic studies of biology, all of which directly impact public health. The funding of this proposal will impact job creation and maintenance in several tangible ways. First, the Vice President for Research of the University of Georgia will create and fund a position for a PhD level staff scientist in the Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Facility (PAMS), should this proposal be funded (see attached letter of support). Furthermore, we anticipate that within a year or two, the income generated by this instrument will allow the PAMS facility to hire a technician. Thus, the funding of this grant will lead to the immediate creation of one job, and the future creation of a second job at the University of Georgia. The purchase of this mass spectrometer will impact jobs with the instrument vendor, as well. We have selected an instrument from Thermo Fisher Scientific, which is based in the United States, with headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. They employ approximately 20,000 people in more than 200 facilities across the country. Of these facilities, approximately 100 are used for manufacturing, including major sites in San Jose and Fremont, California; Asheville, North Carolina; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Sugar Land, Texas; Madison, Wisconsin; Franklin, Massachusetts and Marietta, Ohio. About 80 percent of their US workforce is engaged in manufacturing, sales and service, engineering, and scientific research and development jobs. The environmental impact of the instrument is favorable. On the manufacturing side, Thermo Fisher Scientific is committed to being environmentally responsible in the way they run their company and in the products they manufacture for their customers. Their facilities worldwide operate under a program that generally follows the ISO 14001 environmental management standard, with additional requirements outlined in their internal energy and waste management policies. With regards to the environmental impact of the operation of the requested LC-mass spectrometer, we have specifically requested a capillary HPLC system with this instrument. This utilizes organic solvents at flow rates of a few ¿L/min, 1000 times lower than conventional liquid chromatography which uses mL/min flow rates. This ensures that this instrument will generate minimal (less than 5 mL per day) of chemical waste in its day-to-day operation.