Tandem mass spectrometer coupled to an ultra-high performance liquid chromatograph: UHPLC-HRMS/MS

• Subject Area: Process Engineering, Technical Chemistry
• Term: Funded in 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 518143553

With the present application for large-scale equipment funding for a UHPLC-HRMS/MS system, the Institute of Bioprocess Engineering (BVT) is pursuing essential goals for further development: (1) The consolidation of successful projects in the field of enzymatic catalysis and (2) the use of natural substances with biological activity, as well as (3) the development of systems biology projects in the field of microbial biotechnology and animal cell culture. The device described here is essential for the planned work of the two newly appointed professors Kathrin Castiglione (Bioprocess Engineering) and Sebastian Aljoscha Wahl (Systems Biotechnology) in 2018 and 2022. The device will enable precise analyses in the field of small molecules for the identification and quantification of substances in reaction mixtures, natural substances, media as well as in cells (metabolomics). Furthermore, the device will enable the measurement of protein composition. Measurements of such complex molecules in complex samples can only be achieved with a high-resolution, sensitive system. The procurement is financially supported by the university in the form of appointment commitments. The aim of planned research is to develop and apply tools for: (1) the investigation and optimisation of complex biocatalytic processes, (2) the identification of bioactive natural substances for the development of natural defense strategies against viruses and bacteria, and (3) the systems biology analysis of (animal) cells. The knowledge of complex catalyses, bioprocesses, cultivation, metabolism and modelling available at the institute offers a very good starting point for addressing new scientific questions with the help of HR-MS/MS.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Tandem-Massenspektrometer gekoppelt an einen Ultrahochleistungsflüssigchromatographen (UHPLC-HRMS/MS)
• Instrumentation Group: 1700 Massenspektrometer
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Leader: Professorin Dr. Kathrin Castiglione