Research

As a result of the thalidomide tragedy, new pharmaceuticals need to be thoroughly characterized including any potential isomers that result during synthesis.

Glycosphingolipids are related to neurological diseases and cancer; however, they exist as multiple isomeric forms that behave differently in cellular processes. Separating and characterizing these isomers is critical to understanding the biochemistry of these diseases.

Protein structure dictates its ability to perform intended functions. PFAS are environmental toxins that might have long-term effects on human health. Understanding their interactions with proteins could be the first step to understanding PFAS biotoxicity.

Aggregation at best inactivates protein function and at worst causes severe health challenges. Characterizing different oligomeric forms that are generated under different conditions helps us understand how to prevent these diseases.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) provided the means to study a wide range of molecules in a mass spectrometer, including large biomolecules. Nano-ESI provides even greater enhancement of protein/protein and protein/ligand complex analysis.

Strategic manipulation of chemical structures can lead to more information on structure and energetics. Rather than using lengthy covalent derivatization reactions, ESI facilitates the formation of unique non-covalent structures.

Ion mobility separates species based on their size, shape, and charge. This provides millisecond separations of species in the gas phase and allows for molecular shape measurements and isomer separations in mass spectrometry.

Our main tool is a Waters Select Series Cyclic IMS mass spectrometer. The primary differentiator of this mass spectrometer is the embedded cyclic ion mobility spectrometer which allows us to separate ions based on size and shape at higher resolution than most other gas-phase separation techniques.

This modular instrument will perform gas-phase ion/ion reactions and ion soft-landing, which are not available on any commercial platforms. The combination of these unique capabilities will facilitate novel and unique experiments aimed at the characterization of structural and conformational heterogeneity present in complex biomolecular systems.