MRC Human Nutrition Research, United Kingdom

Q: WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF YOUR LAB’S RESEARCH?

A: During conventional lipodomics research, information is lost during the extraction when lipids get dissociated from the lipoprotein particles. We are developing methods to gather information about lipoproteins while looking at the lipid through online liquid/liquid extraction using the expression CMS as the detector.

Q: WHAT PREVIOUS WORKFLOW CHALLENGES DID YOU EXPERIENCE?

A: The previous method of fraction collection took a lot of time and a lot of work.

Q: WHY DID YOU INCORPORATE THE EXPRESSION CMS INTO YOUR LABORATORY?

A: The CMS is a rugged instrument and allows us to manipulate liquid/liquid extractions and modify parameters such as salt buffers. It is a very simple to use system. Other mass spectrometers are complicated, so if something goes wrong in the method development process; it takes a lot of effort to get the system back up and running. The CMS is easy to clean and can be back running in a short amount of time.

Q: WHO WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO PURCHASE THE EXPRESSION CMS?

A: I recommend the CMS to anyone interested in method development especially those that are not easily amenable to mass spectrometry, because it is so easy to run and maintain.