MRI: Acquisition of a MALDI-ToF/ToF-MS Instrument for Chemical and Biological Research

怀俄明大学将获得重大研究仪器计划(MRI)和化学研究仪器计划(CRIF)颁发的这一奖项，获得一台采用基质辅助激光解吸电离技术的飞行时间质谱仪和一台液相色谱仪(MALDI-TOF-LCMS)。通常，质谱仪是用于识别和表征嵌入在复杂基质中的少量化学物种的关键分析方法之一。激光照射到嵌入样品的惰性基质上，使样品汽化和电离。离子进入质谱仪，在那里测量母离子和碎片离子的质量。这种高度灵敏的技术可以识别和确定复杂混合物中的分子结构。带有液相色谱仪的仪器通过在对混合物进行质量分析之前将其分离，从而提供额外的识别能力。此次收购将加强该大学和该地区的研究基础设施。来自农村地区的高中生、本科生和研究生，包括美国原住民、西班牙裔/拉丁裔、女性，以及怀俄明州和周边边境州的第一代大学生，将从这种现代分析技术的培训中受益。该建议旨在加强各级的研究和教育，特别是在下列领域：(A)开发分析方法，对生物样品和合成样品进行快速和精确的分析；(B)破译蛋白质折叠动力学和抗冻蛋白质功能；(C)开发光催化有机材料；(D)开发糖化蛋白质；(E)阐明细胞信息传递途径；(F)研究进化细胞生物学的基础；(G)开发清洁能源。

With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation program (MRI) and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation program (CRIF), the University of Wyoming will acquire a time of flight mass spectrometer with matrix assisted laser desorption ionization technology and a liquid chromatograph (MALDI-TOF-LCMS). In general, mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the key analytical methods used to identify and characterize small quantities of chemical species embedded in complex matrices. A laser impinging on the inert matrix embedded with the sample, vaporizes and ionizes the sample. The ions pass into the mass spectrometer where the masses of the parent ion and its fragment ions are measured. This highly sensitive technique allows identification and determination of the structure of molecules in a complex mixture. An instrument with a liquid chromatograph provides additional identification power by separating mixtures of compounds before they are mass analyzed. The acquisition will strengthen the research infrastructure at the University and regional area. High school, undergraduate and graduate students from rural areas, including Native Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, women, and first-generation college students in Wyoming and surrounding Frontier states will benefit from training with this modern analytical technique. The proposal is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels, especially in areas such as (a) developing analytical methodologies for the rapid and precise analysis of biological and synthetic samples; (b) deciphering of protein folding dynamics and anti-freeze protein function; (c) developing photocatalytic organic materials; (d) developing glycosylated proteins; (e) elucidating cell messaging pathways; (f) studying fundamentals of evolutionary cell biology; and (g) developing clean energy sources.