Micromass UK Limited

Jonathan P Williams

Jeffery Mark Brown

Michael Raymond Morris

Malcolm Anderson

Brian Green

A method of mass spectrometry determines if a mutated variant of a target protein is present in a sample. The method includes subjecting the sample to fragmentation so as to cause the target protein to fragment to form second generation fragment ions, and then mass analysing these fragment ions to obtain spectral data. The method determines if a mutated variant is present in the sample by determining that an ion in the spectral data has a mass to charge ratio that differs from the mass to charge ratio of an ion that would be observed if the target protein was a normal unmutated version of the target protein, and by an amount that corresponds to a mass difference that would be caused by the target protein being a mutated variant of the target protein.

Mass spectrometry for determining if a mutated variant of a target protein is present in a sample

A method of screening or testing a sample is disclosed that comprises ionising a native human hemoglobin sample to generate parent or precursor ions, subjecting the parent or precursor ions to Electron Transfer Dissociation fragmentation so as to generate a plurality of fragment ions, mass analysing the fragment ions and determining whether or not the fragment ions include fragment ions which are indicative of a variant of hemoglobin.

Fast method to analyse blood samples for the identification of hemoglobin variants using electron transfer dissociation

A method of charge stripping analyte ions is disclosed. The method comprises reacting the analyte ions with reagent ions or charged particles; and then urging the reacted analyte ions through a neutral, inert gas such that said analyte ions interact or collide with the gas molecules in a manner that reduces the charge state of the reacted analyte ions, thereby forming product ions of reduced charge state. The combination of reacting the analyte ions and then urging the reacted ions through the gas results in a charge reduction that is greater than that which would be caused by either of the individual steps of reacting the ions or urging the ions through the gas.

Method of generating ions of high mass to charge ratio by charge reduction

A method for the analysis of samples including one or more glycopeptides including the steps of separating one or more glycopeptides using a chromatography system to produce a chromatographic eluent, adding a supercharging reagent to the chromatographic eluent, providing the chromatographic eluent and supercharging reagent to a mass spectrometer, ionizing the chromatographic eluent and supercharging reagent in an ion source to produce glycopeptide ions, performing at least one ion ion reaction on at least some of the glycopeptides ions to produce fragment ions, mass analyzing the fragment ions to produce ion ion reaction mass spectral data, and interpreting the ion ion reaction mass spectral data to provide structural information relating to the glycopeptide.

Growing community of inventors

South Wales, United Kingdom

Jonathan P Williams