Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced that Princeton University is using its MALDI LTQ Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer for research on virus-host protein interactions.
The research is taking place in the laboratory of Ileana Cristea PhD.
Because the samples required for the studies are difficult to obtain and the elements of interest are frequently present at very low levels, Dr Cristea believed there would be significant benefit with the integration of the Thermo Scientific LTQ Orbitrap with a MALDI interface.
Cristea said: 'This instrument combines the robustness and high throughput capabilities of MALDI with the sensitivity of the linear trap and the high mass accuracy and resolution of the Orbitrap.
'The MALDI LTQ Orbitrap XL is perfectly suited for characterising protein complexes.' The MALDI option is available for both the LTQ Orbitrap Discovery and LTQ Orbitrap XL platforms.
The addition of the MALDI source on the LTQ Orbitrap is suited for proteomics and metabolism applications, making it easier to analyse biological and polymer samples without extensive sample preparation.
Other applications include high-throughput in-gel digest, de novo sequencing, quantitation based on isobaric labelling strategies (TMT Tags, iTRAQ), tissue imaging and small molecule analysis.
