Mass Spectrometry: Instrument Development and Applications to Biomolecules

该奖项将向内布拉斯加大学提供资金，通过与内布拉斯加州和其他机构的研究人员合作，资助一个提供先进质谱技术的设施。串联质谱是质谱（MS）的几种方法之一，它提供了具有高分子量的化合物的高分辨率测量，这些化合物是典型的蛋白质、核酸和其他生物聚合物。该奖项资助的工作将集中于改进使用串联仪器分析各种蛋白质、碳水化合物和其他天然产物的技术；将启动或继续开展各种合作研究项目，并继续开展博士前和博士后水平的培训活动。质谱法在生物分子结构分析中发挥着越来越重要的作用。关于蛋白质序列和结构的信息，包括蛋白质自然发生的修饰，以及关于多糖和其他支链聚合物的类似信息，通过其他技术很难获得。由于购买和操作串联质谱仪器的费用相当高，这种类型的质谱分析在大多数研究机构中并不常见。内布拉斯加州的设施是国内为数不多的几个为众多机构的研究人员提供现代生物研究许多领域所需的技术质谱分析的设施之一。

This award provides funds to the University of Nebraska for funding of a facility that provides advanced mass spectrometric techniques through collaborations with researchers at Nebraska and at other institutions. One of several approaches to mass spectrometry (MS), tandem MS provides high resolution measurements of compounds with the high molecular weights typical of proteins, nucleic acids and other biopolymers. Efforts sponsored by this award will focus on improving techniques for analysis of variety of proteins, carbohydrates and other natural products using the tandem instrument; a variety of collaborative research projects will be initiated or continued, and training activities at the pre- and post doctoral level will continue. Mass spectrometry plays an increasingly important role in the structural analysis of biomolecules. Information about protein sequence and structure, including naturally occurring modifications of proteins, and similar kinds of information about polysaccharides and other branched chain polymers are obtained with great difficulty by other techniques. Because of the considerable expense of acquisition and operation of tandem MS instruments, this type of mass spectrometric analysis is not routinely available at most research institutions. The Nebraska facility is one of only several in the country that provide researchers at numerous institutions with access to the kind of skilled mass spectrometry needed in many areas of modern biological research.