Ion Beam Analysis for the 2020's and Beyond: An Integration of Elemental Mapping and 'omics'

本研究金提案的愿景是在国际上提供一种独特的能力，使蛋白质、代谢物和微量元素可以在环境压力下在亚微米尺度上成像和定位。这是使用任何其他技术无法获得的，将为工业界和学术界研究组织和细胞中代谢物、蛋白质和其他生物标志物的通量的研究人员提供重大好处。该奖学金将培养一名新的新兴世界领袖，并为这一新领域的一组研究人员提供培训。这一愿景将通过开发一种新的分子物种形成工具箱来实现，该工具箱将与离子束分析（IBA）一起使用。该奖学金将通过三个相互关联的工作包来解决这一挑战，每个工作包都研究一种不同的方法来增加分子物种形成，这些方法可以与IBA技术一起提供。这些方法可概括如下：多模态质谱和离子束微量元素成像；2. 微尺度（点）蛋白质和代谢物特征与离子束微量元素成像；3. 利用抗体-镧系元素标签对生物分子和蛋白质进行多路离子束成像。这将为英国在生物材料表征方面的能力提供一个台阶的变化。该提案将加强EPSRC最近在续签英国国家离子束中心（UKNIBC）合同和相关设备投资（EP/P001440/1; EP/I036516/1）方面的1000万英镑投资，确保继续为英国提供尖端能力，并为UKNIBC提供增强的能力。它还将确保主要利益满足英国工业和学术界的需求，并支持RCUK优先领域的应用开发，具有显著的经济和社会效益。

The vision of this Fellowship proposal is to provide a unique capacity internationally, where proteins, metabolites and trace elements can be imaged and co-located at the sub-micron scale, under ambient pressure. This is not available using any other technique and will provide significant benefits to researchers in industry and academia studying the fluxes of metabolites, proteins and other biomarkers in tissues and cells. The Fellowship will develop a new emerging world leader and provide training to a team of researchers in this new field. The vision will be achieved by developing a novel toolbox for molecular speciation, to be used alongside ion beam analysis (IBA). The Fellowship will tackle this challenge with three interconnecting work packages, each investigating a different approach to augmenting the molecular speciation that can be provided alongside or with IBA techniques. These approaches can be summarised as follows: 1. Multimodal mass spectrometry and ion beam trace element imaging; 2. Microscale (point) protein and metabolite characterisation alongside ion beam trace element imaging; 3. Multiplexed ion beam imaging of biomolecules and proteins using antibody-lanthanide tags.This will provide a step change in the UK's capability in the characterisation of biological materials. This proposal will enhance the >£10M investment that EPSRC has recently made in renewing the UK National Ion Beam Centre (UKNIBC) contract and investment in associated equipment (EP/P001440/1; EP/I036516/1), ensure continuing provision of cutting-edge capability in the UK and provide enhanced capabilities at the UKNIBC. It will also ensure the primary benefits go to the needs of UK industry and academia and support the development of applications across RCUK priority areas, with significant economic and societal benefits.