| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/T09460/01 |
| Title: |
Ion Conveyor for Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry |
| Principal Investigator: |
Drewello, Dr T |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Chemistry |
| Organisation: |
University of Warwick |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 October 2004 |
Ends: |
31 March 2008 |
Value (£): |
257,406
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Analytical Science |
Genomics |
| Instrumentation Eng. & Dev. |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Healthcare |
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Mass spectrometry has become an indispensable tool in biotechnology, in biochemical laboratories and in much medical research. The future of mass spectrometry in the life sciences will lie with instruments in which samples are probed at atmospheric pressure. The quantity of biomolecules required for successful characterisation by mass spectrometry is now low enough, for example, to allow the direct detection of the majority of the most abundant cellular proteins. However proteins expressed in small numbers, which are of major importance as regulatory factors, are often not detected in such experiments. Aggregates of biomolecues and complexes held together by weak forces are often destroyed during the process of introducing sample to the mass spectrometer. The sample loss and destruction, during the introduction stage, has to be minimised. The sample loss occurs during the transport of the ions from the atmosphere to the vacuum, as well as during the storage of the ions prior to analysis. We propose a device called the conveyor , which depends on electrodynamic fields to trap, focus and transport ions from high-pressure regions to high-vacuum regions. Most of the ion losses normally occur during this procedure when conventional optics are being used in present-day mass spectrometry. Based on calculations and preliminary experiments we believe that the device proposed here can offer two to three orders of magnitude improvement in ion transmission over existing ion optics and hence, for example, lower drastically the detection level of weakly expressed proteins.The ability to control very precisely the nature of collisions encountered by protein-protein and other non-covalently bound complexes and aggregates is expected to bring great practical benefits for their study by mass spectrometry. This control offered by the conveyor would allow both unwanted dissociation of complexes and unwanted gas-phase aggregation to be avoided.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.warwick.ac.uk |