PERSEPTIVE BIOSYSTEMS MALDI-TOF MASS SPECTROMETER

本应用程序的目的是增强华盛顿大学医学院NIH研究人员可用的质谱分析能力，从而显著增强这些研究人员进行杰出生物医学研究的潜力。这将通过购买一台现代的perctive Biosystems MALDI-TOF质谱仪来完成，以补充已经在运行的Finnigan LCQ ESI仪器。该仪器将通过提供更高的灵敏度、化学的多功能性和质谱服务的成本效益，提高华盛顿大学NIH支持的研究人员的能力。该仪器将被整合到一个核心设施中，由华盛顿大学蛋白质和核酸化学实验室作为生物医学研究的共享仪器进行操作。一个由6名NIH支持的研究人员组成的主要小组已被确定为主要用户，他们的研究将通过获得该仪器而立即得到加强。这些研究人员由美国国立卫生研究院的5个不同研究所资助，他们需要该仪器进行的项目包括凝血的生化、生物物理和结构功能研究、肌醇磷酸盐在人类疾病中的作用、变构的酶机制、细菌发病机制中的菌毛组装、RNA结合功能和骨中的基因表达。此外，该仪器将被另外一组大约52个酸性化学实验室使用。最后，大约80名额外的NIH资助的研究人员使用核酸化学实验室作为核心服务设施运行了15年以上。因此，科学专业知识、操作、维护和成本回收的所有必要要求都已到位。此外，蛋白质和核酸化学实验室的工作人员具有5年以上的质谱分析经验。

The goal of this application is to enhance the mass spectrometry capabilities available to NIH investigators at Washington University School of Medicine and in so doing significantly strengthen the potential of those investigators to conduct outstanding biomedical research. This will be accomplished by the purchase of a modern Perseptive Biosystems MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer to complement the Finnigan LCQ ESI instrument already in operation. This instrument will enhance the capabilities of NIH supported investigators at Washington University by providing increased sensitivity, versatility of chemistry, and cost-effectiveness in mass spectrometry services. The instrument will be integrated into a Core Facility and be operated by the Washington University Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry Laboratories as a shared instrument for biomedical research. A major group of 6 NIH supported investigators has been identified as primary users whose research will be enhanced immediately by acquisition of the instrument. These investigators are funded by 5 different institutes of NIH and require the instrument for projects that include biochemical, biophysical, and structure-function studies in coagulation, the role of inositol phosphates in human disease, enzymatic mechanism of allostery, pili assembly in bacterial pathogenesis, RNA binding function, and gene expression in bone. In addition, the instrument will be utilized by an additional group of approximately 52 Acid Chemistry Laboratories. Finally, approximately 80 additional NIH funded investigators who use the Nucleic Acid Chemistry Laboratories have operated as a core service facility for over 15 years. Thus, all of the necessary requirements for scientific expertise, operation, maintenance, and cost-recovery are in place. In addition, the staff of the Protein and Nucleic Acid Chemistry Laboratories have over 5 years of experience in mass spectrometry analysis.