Native Mass Spectrometry has emerged as standard tool in characterizing the structure and dynamics of biomolecular complexes. It can provide insights in the stoichiometry and topology of subunits by inducing partial dissociation of the protein complex.
Since 2005 MS Vision has been active in the field of Native Mass Spectrometry and has fulfilled a pioneering role in the development of the technique. In close collaboration with the group of prof. Albert Heck at Utrecht University, we have gradually and steadily improved the technology for the analysis of intact protein complexes, often non-covalently bound, preserving native conditions in the gas phase.
As a small, dedicated and focused company, we have developed our technology through modification of Waters series Q-Tof and LCT instruments in response to specific user feedback. We moved on to translate what we had learnt to Synapt instruments, yielding excellent high mass performance and turning Synapt instruments into versatile platforms for structural biochemistry. Our High Mass Synapt systems comprise:
- Extension of the quadrupole m/z range to 32 kDa, enabling efficient transmission and selection of large protein complexes
- Enhanced control over ion source and transfer region conditions, allowing for softer operation for better preservation of fragile proteins, and hotter conditions for enhanced activation of stable complexes
- Enhanced activation and collisional cooling control in the TriWave region, allowing the admission of different gases into the IMS stage so it can either be used for post-activation cooling or Ion Mobility.
- Customized acquisition settings, for best signal-to-noise in real-time monitoring
- Preserving the Ion Mobility capability of the instrument
Applications range from the analysis of antibodies (Mw determination and purity) Antigen-Antibody interaction studies (stochiometry and affinity studies); Antibody PTM analysis (glycosilation, Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC)); protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions (stochiometry, topology ) and virus capsids (composition, viral drugs development).
