Underpinning UK Biomolecular Research with Next-Generation High Resolution Mass Spectrometry at the University of Edinburgh

质谱（MS）是一种成熟的分析技术，影响着生物科学的所有领域。在过去的三十年中，MS已经从一种用于小分子的常规分子质量测量的技术发展成为分析非常大的生物分子（如蛋白质或DNA）或表征非常复杂的生物混合物的强大工具。这种进步的一个原因是现代质谱仪能够分离（解析）来自分子质量接近的分子的许多信号。现代MS仪器还可以以极高的精度测量质量。如果该质量精度足够高，则测量的质量可以用于直接确定分子的元素组成。傅里叶变换离子回旋共振（FT-ICR）仪器是当今性能最高的质谱仪-提供无与伦比的质量分辨率和质量精度。商业FT-ICR质谱仪的最新技术改进导致质量分辨率、质量准确度和速度的变革性提高。该提案的目的是使爱丁堡大学的科学界、英国其他学术机构以及我们的行业合作伙伴能够使用这种“下一代”仪器。新仪器将支持BBSRC未来十年几个关键战略重点的科学研究（生物科学的技术发展;整个生命过程中的健康老龄化;工业生物技术的新战略方针;对抗抗菌素耐药性;合成生物学;这项建议汇集了广泛的研究人员，他们将在生物科学研究的三个主要领域利用这一新工具：（i）详细分析生物重要蛋白质;（ii）用于对组织和组织模型中生物分子的分布进行成像;以及（iii）用于对非常复杂的生物混合物中的小分子进行分析和化学表征。

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a mature analytical technique that impacts all areas of the biological sciences. Over the last three decades MS has developed from a technique for routine molecular mass measurement of small molecules to become a powerful tool for the analysis of very large biological molecules (such as proteins or DNA) or for the characterisation of very complex biological mixtures. One reason for this advancement is the ability of modern mass spectrometers to separate (resolve) the many signals which derive from molecules which are close in molecular mass. Modern MS instruments can also measure mass with extremely high accuracy. If this mass accuracy is high enough, the measured mass can be used to directly determine a molecule's elemental composition. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) instruments are the highest performance mass spectrometers available today - offering unsurpassed mass resolution and mass accuracy. Recent technological improvements in commercial FT-ICR mass spectrometers have resulted in transformative increases in mass resolution, mass accuracy, and speed. The aim of this proposal is to make this 'next-generation' instrumentation available to the scientific communities in the University of Edinburgh, other academic institutions throughout the UK, and our partners in the industry.The new instrument will underpin scientific research in several key strategic priorities for BBSRC for the next decade (technology development for the biosciences; healthy ageing across the lifecourse; new strategic approaches to industrial biotechnology; combatting antimicrobial resistance; synthetic biology; the replacement, refinement and reduction (3Rs) in research using animals; and bioenergy, food, nutrition and health).This proposal brings together a broad range of researchers who will exploit this new instrument in three main areas of bioscience research: (i) for detailed analysis of biologically important proteins; (ii) for imaging the distribution of biomolecules in tissues and tissue models; and (iii) for profiling and chemical characterisation of small molecules in very complex biological mixtures.