Advances in Nano-Scale Separations for MS Analysis

This Wednesday morning session will include discussion of nanoscale separations and MS analysis for applications such as ultratrace molecular profiling, high-throughput top-down protein analysis, peptides in complex samples, and ionogenic metabolites in body fluids.

The first presentation will be given by Barry L. Karger of the Barnett Institute at Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts). Karger will discuss a novel analytical technique for ultratrace molecular profiling of very small sample amounts. The presentation is titled “Ultrasensitive Microscale Proteomic Analysis of Limited Availability Clinical Samples Using Porous Layer Open Tubular (PLOT) Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry.”

John C. Tran of Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) will present the next talk, titled “Miniaturization of Size-Based Separation Device for Top-Down Proteomic Analysis of Low Microgram Samples.” His presentation will report about a method for size-based separation of microgram amounts of HeLa proteins in a high-throughput, top-down analysis.

The next presentation in the session, “Increased Throughput for 2D LC in the Analysis of Human Placental Samples,” will be given by Martha Staples of the Waters Corporation (Milford, Massachusetts). She will discuss the use of orthogonal separation dimensions to resolve peptides from human placenta samples.

Thomas Koecher of IMP (Vienna, Austria) next will present “Development and Performance Evaluation of a Robust NanoLC–MS/MS Vented Column Set-Up with 25 µm ID Columns for Improved Sensitivity.” The talk will describe the application of an LC–MS-MS system for analyzing tryptic peptides from HeLa cell lysate.

Christopher Becker of the Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, LUMC (Leiden, The Netherlands) will then present a talk titled “Ultra Low-Flow Sheathless Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry for Comprehensive Profiling of Ionogenic Metabolites in Body Fluids.” Becker will discuss how CE–TOF-MS using a sheathless interface can provide a sensitive and comprehensive analysis of metabolites in body fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid and urine.

The session’s final presentation, to be given by Michael Bereman of the University of Washington (Seattle, Washington), is titled “Development and Implementation of a Plug and Play Device for Streamlining NanoLC ESI-MS Analysis.” His talk will describe nanoflow chromatography with electrospray ionization MS detection as applied in a series of shotgun proteomics experiments.