Mass Spectrometry

Overview

The Mass Spectrometry Facility at the CDI is equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation and provides bioanalytical expertise to researchers and clinicians within the CDI and the local scientific community.  Facility staff have expertise and experience divided into two main focus areas: 1) drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) in support of preclinical drug development, and 2) mass spectrometry imaging applications in broad areas of biomedical research and spatial pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies. Our staff are uniquely trained to work in CDI’s Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) containment laboratories and we provide cutting-edge workflows for both DMPK and mass spectrometry imaging of infectious samples that require biocontainment.

The CDI is also part of the National Cancer Institute-designated Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, and additional mass spectrometry resources are available and can be accessed here.

Instrumentation and Services

Technical Services offered:

• Consultation and study design.
• Advice and guidance on sample preparation, experimental design and data interpretation.
• Assay development, qualification and validation.
• Transfer of existing assays from literature.
• Support for technical and scientific writing of grant proposals and manuscripts.

Equipment and Instrumentation:

Bruker SolariX 2xR 7T Hybrid QqFT-ICR Mass Spectrometer

The hybrid quadrupole – Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer is predominantly used for MS imaging of biomolecules and pharmaceuticals. The instrument features a dual ESI/MALDI ion source. Combination of the latest Magnetic Resonance Mass Spectrometry (MRMS), ParaCell and Magnetron control technology provides a maximum resolving power >10M, enabling routine access to Isotopic Fine Structure (IFS) information with high mass accuracy (600 ppb).

AB Sciex 5500 QTRAP Mass Spectrometer coupled with ExionLC™ Series UHPLC System

The CDI houses 2 hybrid tandem quadrupole – linear ion trap mass spectrometers that are dedicated to LC-MS/MS analysis of drug compounds. These systems deliver high sensitivity and selectivity with reduced matrix interference for improved drug quantitation.

AB Sciex 6500+ QTRAP Mass Spectrometer coupled with Shimadzu Nexera X2 UHPLC system

This hybrid tandem quadrupole – linear ion trap mass spectrometer is predominantly used for ultra-sensitive LC-MS/MS quantification of drug compounds from challenging samples. This system enables the spatial quantitation of pharmaceuticals from cellular regions isolated using laser-capture microdissection.

Thermo Q-Exactive Quadrupole-Obitrap Mass Spectrometer coupled with UltiMate 3000 UHPLC

The hybrid system combines quadrupole precursor selection with high resolution accurate mass (HRAM)

Orbitrap analysis and is predominantly used for the identification of unknown drug metabolites.

HTX-TM Sprayers
The M3 and M5 MALDI mass spectrometry imaging sample preparation systems provide high quality matrix deposition for superior analyte extraction and spatial image resolution.

Leica Laser Microdissection Microscope 6
The LMD6 microscope is housed within one of CDIs BSL-3 laboratories and is dedicated to the dissection of regions of interest from infected tissue for downstream antimicrobial drug quantitation.

Leica Laser Microdissection Microscope 7
The LMD7 microscope provides researchers with access to cutting-edge technology for the isolation of single cells or specific cell populations from frozen/FFPE tissue sections, bone sections and cell culture. The captured cells or regions of interest can then be post-processed for a wide range of downstream assays including DNA, RNA, proteomic, lipidomic, metabolomic and pharmaceutical quantitation.

Leica Biosystems CM1860 and CM3050 S Cryostats
The Leica cryostats are used for cutting accurate sections from frozen specimens for laser-capture microdissection and mass spectrometry imaging studies.

Faculty and Staff

Claire Carter, Ph.D. is an Assistant Member of the CDI, Assistant Professor of Pathology at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, and an Associate Member of the NCI-designated Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Consortium. Dr. Carter has a multidisciplinary background that encompasses biomedical sciences, clinical histopathology and 15 years of mass spectrometry and mass spectrometry imaging expertise.

Matthew Zimmerman, B.S. Chemical Engineering, (Manager DMPK) is an Infectious Disease Laboratory Manager at the Center for Discovery and Innovation. Mr. Zimmerman has 20 years of experience in academic and industrial settings applying mass spectrometry techniques to profile the DMPK properties of new chemical entities and leading these compounds through the appropriate stages of preclinical testing.