Mass Spectrometry

Introduction

Dr David Sumpton

Head of Mass Spectometry

d.sumpton@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk

The CRUK Scotland Institute has a well-established expertise in mass spectrometry (MS). We host a broad range of MS instruments supporting a diverse range of research questions and applications. Historically focus has centred around proteomics, the large-scale study of proteins and metabolomics, the study of small molecules or metabolites using MS. More recently, research on the important role lipids play in cancer biology, has been supported using our lipidomics platform.

The facilities core aim is to assist the institute’s scientists with their most challenging analytical questions. Our team is dedicated to developing and applying new methodologies to meet these challenges. Over the years, we have developed numerous analysis pipelines, from studying single proteins along with their interaction partners, to complete proteomes. We have dedicated methods to study post-translational modifications of proteins, such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination, acetylation and oxidation with site localisation. We can measure many classes of metabolites in a targeted fashion. Often, developing methods in collaboration with the institute’s researchers to detect project specific metabolites for the first time. We can also discover novel metabolites using untargeted metabolomics as exemplified in our discovery of N5-methyl-glutamine as a biomarker for β-catenin-driven hepatocellular carcinoma. We are also well experienced in the use of stable isotope tracers to interrogate changes in intracellular kinetics and carbon sources.

Our extensive arsenal has been effectively applied across the full range of preclinical models and clinical samples available at the institute. We provide researchers with scientific support throughout the entire research process, from experimental design to execution, sample processing, data interpretation, and assist with presentations, manuscript preparation and deposition of data in public repositories. We also offer advice and training to users wishing to carry out their own sample preparation, covering a wide range of sample types, including cells, tissues, and biofluids such as plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, urine and stool. Researchers can also be trained in data analysis approaches or are fully supported especially with more complex analysis needs.

This year, we are excited to be adding a new MS imaging platform to the facility and are looking forward to developing approaches to determine the spatial distribution of molecules within tissue. This cutting-edge instrument will provide the means to uncover novel biological insights and offer a fundamentally new way to interrogate changes in the tumour microenvironment and cancer biology.