Achieving Sub-PPM Mass Accuracy for MALDI-FTICR Mass Spectrometry

在化学测量和成像项目的支持下，格鲁吉亚大学的Jonathan Amster教授和他的团队将设计、构建和测试用于傅里叶变换质谱的新分析仪单元。与当前最先进的技术相比，这些单元将大大提高傅里叶变换质谱的性能。Amster小组还将使用计算机模拟大量离子的运动，以更深入地了解单元设计特征和实验参数对仪器性能的影响。 这些努力的总体目标是实现通过基质辅助激光解吸质谱法形成的离子的质量测量的十亿分之几的准确度。 相对于目前在这些实验中可以实现的质量精度，这将提供几个数量级的改进。质量是物质最基本的属性之一，并且精确测量它的能力影响了许多科学领域。激光解吸质谱法用于化学成像测量，因此拟议的发展可能会导致更具体的分子识别及其在组织等样品中的空间分布。参与该项目的研究生和本科生将受益于多学科教育，并将学习通过在会议上发言和撰写论文在同行评议的期刊上发表来有效地传达他们的结果。Amster教授定期讲授傅里叶变换质谱法的短期课程，该项目的结果将补充课程材料。从该项目中获得的基本知识也将在关于该主题的网络教程中传播。

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program, Prof. Jonathan Amster and his group at the University of Georgia will design, construct, and test new analyzer cells for Fourier transform mass spectrometry. These cells will substantially improve the performance of Fourier transform mass spectrometry compared to the current state-of-the-art. The Amster group will also use computer simulations of the motion of large populations of ions to develop a deeper understanding of the cell design features and experimental parameters on instrument performance. The overall goal of these efforts is to achieve parts-per-billion accuracy for mass measurement of ions formed by matrix assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry. This will provide an improvement of several orders of magnitude in mass accuracy relative to that which can currently be achieved in these experiments.Mass is one of the most fundamental properties of matter, and the capability to measure it accurately impacts many areas of science. Laser desorption mass spectrometry is used for chemical imaging measurements, so the proposed developments may lead to more specific identification of molecules and their spatial distribution in samples such as tissues. Graduate and undergraduate students involved in this project will benefit from a multidisciplinary education, and will learn to effectively communicate their results by speaking at conferences and by writing papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Professor Amster regularly teaches a short-course on Fourier transform mass spectrometry, and the results of this project will supplement the course material. The fundamental knowledge gained from this project will also be disseminated in a web-based tutorial on the subject.