BILLERICA, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2003--Bruker Daltonics Inc. (NASDAQ: BDAL - News) today announced a collaboration with Mayo Clinic in the field of proteomics that will focus on the development of novel, more efficient methods for protein analysis using Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS).
Proteomics looks at the function and role of proteins in healthy as well as disease states. Mass spectrometry plays a central role in identifying and quantifying proteins in cells and biological fluids (e.g., serum) providing insights into the biological basis of disease. The comprehensiveness in which a proteome can be measured is technologically challenging due to the sheer number of proteins, many of which are present at low concentrations. In contrast to genes, proteins cannot be amplified in vitro and therefore only minute amounts are available for detailed analysis. Thus, the development of high-end protein analysis instrumentation that can provide better sensitivity, peak capacity and throughput which will be critical for progress in proteomic research.
The objective of the collaboration between Dr. David Muddiman, Director of the W.M. Keck FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic, and Bruker Daltonics is to further develop the applications of ultra-high field FTMS toward the area of proteomics research. A modified Bruker Daltonics APEX® FTMS system, equipped with a 9.4 Tesla superconducting magnet, has already previously been used at the DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to characterize a bacterial proteome in just 3 hours using accurate mass measurements and automated MS/MS.
As part of the collaboration, Bruker Daltonics is now providing Mayo Clinic with the world's first commercial 12 Tesla FTMS system, optimized for proteome-wide measurements. The installation began today with the 12 Tesla superconducting magnet, and is scheduled to be completed in March 2003. The 12 Tesla APEX FTMS system at Mayo Clinic will act as Mayo's primary technology for unraveling the human proteome as defined in cells and biological fluids (e.g., serum, cerebral spinal fluid). The ultra-high field APEX system will be capable of ultra-high mass accuracy (less than 1 ppm mass errors), resolving power, wide dynamic range, and automated data-dependent MS/MS; the latter allows detailed proteome characterization when coupled to on-line multidimensional liquid chromatography.
This unique and novel instrumentation will further strengthen Mayo's research activities in proteomics, essential for the understanding of the molecular basis of disease.
Dr. Muddiman said: "Our development of this ultra-high resolving power FTMS approach will help unravel the entire human proteome - an estimated 25,000 proteins are expressed in a complex cell (e.g., nerve) while biological fluids are expected to contain 10,000. Proteolysis of a complex cell will generate over a million peptides, and that does not include post-translation modifications."
He continued: "There is simply nothing like ultra-high field FTMS anywhere else - this technology allows us to approach mammalian proteomes with confidence. The application of FTMS technology directed solely at clinical problems is unique to Mayo and it will clearly advance molecular medicine, both at the basic-science and the patient-care levels."
"We are extremely pleased that Dr. Muddiman has chosen to add the world's first 12 Tesla APEX to their suite of proteomics tools", stated Dr. Paul Speir, Asst. Vice President at Bruker Daltonics. "The research approach that Dr. Muddiman is taking nicely leverages the benefits of ultra-high field FTMS for proteomics research, and validates our long-standing commitment to the development of ultra-high field bio-analytical FTMS."
About Mayo Clinic and Dr. David Muddiman
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit healthcare organization based in Rochester, Minnesota. Its mission is to provide the best care to every patient every day through integrated clinical practice, education and research.
The Mayo Proteomics Research Center (MPRC) supports research programs of clinical investigators and career scientists engaged in the study of proteins for differential and functional proteomics initiatives. The skilled staff of the facility provide many services in protein chemistry, which include electrophoresis, liquid chromatography, protein sequencing, mass spectrometry, peptide mapping, solid phase peptide synthesis, protein structure prediction, and molecular modeling.
Dr. David Muddiman, Director of the W.M. Keck FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry Laboratory in the MPRC, has extensive experience in developing novel methods for peptide and protein quantification, determining post-translational modifications of proteins, and analysis of DNA using Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry (FTMS) and has applied these methods to elucidate predicative biomarkers in serum, genotyping polymorphisms, allele frequency determination for SNP loci, and studies of anti-cancer drug-DNA interactions. |
