This Week’s Mass Spec News

Worth Your Time

Neil King and colleagues use cryo-electron microscopy and native mass spectrometry to characterize multiple distinct architectures for three artificially designed proteins. Link

A method to determine 23 free fatty acids in coffee beans and cow’s milk with liquid chromatography-single quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Link 

Using hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), researchers investigate interactions between N- and C-terminal domains of apolipoproteins E3 and E4 – a cause of pathological effects in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Link

An advanced metabolome-informed proteome imaging (MIPI) workflow integrates lipidomic imaging with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) to reveal molecular differences in placental villous compartments. Link

Researchers use rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS) to classify survival times of samples of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – a type of aggressive brain cancer – with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) used to compare lipidomic differences. Link

Essential Reading

Trends and Challenges in Nitrosamine Testing: Part One – Scoping the Problem

In the first part of a new pharma-focused series, we reached out to five experts to discuss all things nitrosamines – ranging from their analytical quirks and pitfalls to regulatory trends and developments. Part one covers our experts’ first encounters with the compounds, as well introducing us to the dangers they can pose.

When analyzing nitrosamines, one thing all of our experts agree on is the preferred “weapon of choice” – namely, mass spectrometry. As Jingyue Yang explains, “Mass spectrometry is the most (and often the only) suitable instrument for nitrosamine analysis due to its high selectivity and sensitivity, which is crucial since nitrosamines are typically present at very low levels. Gas or liquid chromatography is generally used prior to MS analysis to achieve the necessary separation of compounds.” Read more!

Community Corner

Clearing the Air

The recent Los Angeles wildfires scorched over 1,500 acres of land in the Palisades and Eaton areas, devastating the livelihoods of local residents and wildlife. More recently, concerns have been raised over the long-term effects the fires have had on local air and soil contamination. 

In response, researchers at UCLA’s Molecular Instrumentation Center (MIC) are using specialized mass spectrometry to analyze volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the impacted areas. In a press release, Joseph Loo said “using [mass spectrometry] to determine how long these VOCs remain in the environment post-containment and to learn if they are released during the remediation efforts should be highly useful to the local residents and the greater Los Angeles community.”