About Us
The Mass spectrometry Resource at Washington University in St. Louis is a
Biotechnology Facility supported by the
National Centers for Research Resources (
).
The faculty directors are
,
,
, and
. The faculty is assisted by a group of
. Our goals are:
- to conduct basic research in the science of mass spectrometry
- to establish collaborative research projects with scientists at WU and at other institutions
- to provide a service in mass spectrometry
- to educate and train students in mass spectrometry
- to disseminate results of our research and descriptions of the subject of mass spectrometry
Basic Research:
We are developing and applying methods in
,
,
protein biochemistry and
,
and
.
We also are interested in new
in FT-Ion Cyclotron Resonance and improved accurate mass measurements.
We are also developing new matrix and sample-handling strategies for
MALDI, and
for proteomics. More information is available by consulting our
lists.
Collaborative Research:
We are excited to collaborate and utilize mass spectrometry for the
identification, characterization, and quantitation of biomolecules
including: new and unusual lipids, to identify proteins and their
posttranslational modifications in proteomics, to analyze mixtures of
antigenic peotides in immunology, to determine the composition of bacterial
cell walls, and to understand the properties of proteins and their complexes
with other molecules. Collaborations directed at the trace analysis of
other biomolecules nad in isotope ratio mass spectrometry are another goal.
Collaborations can be arranged by contacted
(proteomics),
(lipidomics),
(isotope ratio MS, lipidomics), or
(protein biochemistry/biophysicsl, proteomics, peptide analysis).
The resource interacts with a number of other laboratories at Washington
University, notably with the
(Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences), the
and
.
Service:
We provide services for accurate mass of synthetic and natural products,
GC/low resolution MS, LC/MS, LC/MS/MS, MALDI, high performance MALDI, and
isotope ratio MS. To arrange service projects, please contact
or
at the
,
or
at the
, or
at the
proteomics resource. A list of fees for these services at the
Chemistry Resource is available
. A list of fees for services at the
Medical School Resource is available
.
Training and Education:
The resource
provides training for users of mass spectrometry and education for
graduate and postdoctoral students. In addition to research
opportunities, Michael Gross teaches a graduate course in mass
spectrometry (
)
in the Department of Chemistry during alternate spring semesters (2007,
2009). The resource also sponsors the
and hosts lectures by experts in mass spectrometry approximately two
times per month. Approximately half the lectures are held in the
morning at the Medical School Campus and the others are in the evening
at the Danforth Campus. Occasionally a workshop or symposium is
organized by the resource. For the past 10+ years the resource has
co-sponsored a symposium entitled "Bridging the Gap Between Ion
Chemistry & Biological Applications of Mass Spectrometry," held in
conjunction with the annual Experimental Biology meeting (a list of past
speakers/titles is available
).
Dissemination:
Members of the resource are active in
results
of our research in the original science literature and as review
articles and book chapters that describe some of our research interests.
The resource hosts the editorial office for
and the
.
We also host the
.
Instrumentation:
The resource is well equipped with a
of modern and
mature mass spectrometers. Our most powerful instruments are
hybrids comprised of ion traps interfaced with either Fourier transform
ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers or orbitraps. We also
make use of quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometers, ion traps,
MALDI time-of-flight, and older quadrupole and tandem sector
instruments. Most of the instruments are interfaced to capillary
liquid chromatographs. In the near future, we will add a 12-tesla
FT-ICR mass spectrometer for top-down proteomics. Our instrument
holdings are among the most extensive for an academic laboratory in the
United States of America.
Background:
The Mass Spectrometry Resource at Washington University in St. Louis is a merger of the former NSF Midwest Center for Mass Spectrometry (founded in 1978 at the University of Nebraska) and the Biomedical Mass Spectrometry Resource (founded in 1976 at Washington University). The present resource, which was formed in 1994 with support from the NIH National Center for Research Resources (Grant No. P41RR000954), has one laboratory in the Department of Chemistry, directed by Michael L. Gross, and two in the School of Medicine, one directed by R. Reid Townsend and the other by John W. Turk. Michael Gross is the principal investigator.
