ESR8

Hardware for paleoproteomics

ESR8: Hardware for paleoproteomics (@ UCPH, supervisor JVO).

The recently introduced Orbitrap Fusion Lumos Tribrid mass spectrometer is the industry-leading high-performance mass spectrometer and, at the time of this writing, the instrument with the best sensitivity, best mass resolution, and fastest scan rate. It is equipped with the higher capacity ETD HD fragmentation mode and benefitting from improved transmission of ions into the Orbitrap analyzer. Improved precursor storage capacity in the ETD HD mode leads to a larger fragment ion population thereby increasing the dynamic range of the ETD acquisition scan. This results in significant increase in sequence coverage of intact proteins. These features make it one of the most attractive analytical options for top-down sequencing of analytes present in very small amounts. The main advantages of the top-down approach include the ability to detect degradation products, sequence variants, and combinations of post-translational modifications. Aiming at minimising preparation steps to maximise recoveries of analytes from cultural heritage objects, ESR8 will develop MS procedures to apply top-down tandem MS protein sequencing to undigested protein extracts of cultural heritage samples, by taking full advantage of the Orbitrap Fusion Lumos Tribrid advanced features. This instrumentation is available for the ESR5 and 8 at both University of Copenhagen and Thermo Fisher Scientific in Bremen. Networking. Within TEMPERA, ESR 8 will interact primarily with:

  1. Thermo, Bremen: ESR 8 will spend a secondment period of 6 months at Thermo (Bremen), to collaborate with Thomas Moehring (co-supervision) and his colleagues to expand his/her experience about hardware development.
  2. ESR 7: ESR 8 will spend a secondment period of 4 months at MPI to assist ESR 7 in the development of new control software for the Orbitrap Fusion Lumos Tribrid mass spectrometer.
  3. Thermo USA: ESR 8 will spend a secondment period of 3 months at Thermo USA R&D in San Jose (California) to collaborate with colleagues at the USA research facility on development of the most advanced company projects.