Native Ambient Mass Spectrometry (NAMS)

The goal is to develop methods which combine native mass spectrometry, top-down mass spectrometry and ambient mass spectrometry imaging into a platform for in situ analysis of folded proteins and protein complexes. These methods require little to no sample preparation. We have demonstrated that liquid extraction surface analysis (LESA) and nanospray-desorption electrospray ionisation (nano-DESI) using non-denaturing solvents enable ambient, spatially-resolved analysis of soluble and membrane protein analytes exceeding 100 kDa.

FAIMS

High field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS), also known as differential ion mobility offers advantages for the analysis of biomolecules. In addition to unravelling the underlying mechanisms of FAIMS, we are developing methods to couple FAIMS with LESA mass spectrometry and with proteomics for improved analysis of proteins. We are also developing software for interpretation and visualisation of FAIMS data.

Electron mediated dissociation

We are interested in understanding the fundamentals of gas-phase peptide fragmentation, specifically electron capture dissociation, electron transfer dissociation and related approaches, by use of a model peptide approach. We are also developing electron mediated approaches for targeted analysis of protein post-translational modifications.