Mass spectrometry

Proteomics

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Stefan Tenzer

The Tenzer Lab focuses on the development of label-free, quantitative proteomics methods and workflows and harbours the "Core Facility for Mass Spectrometry" (CFMS) at the University Medical Center Mainz. To enable the reproducible proteomic analysis of large clinical cohorts, we develop automated high-throughput sample processing workflows on a Beckman Biomek i7 robotic platform. Using several latest generation LC-MS instrument platforms, including Bruker TIMS-TOF Pro 2 systems and a FAIMS-equipped Thermo Exploris 480 system, we explore the benefits of ion mobility separations for quantitative proteomics and immunopeptidomics. Besides the development and application of data independent acquisition workflows (UDMSE, diaPASEF), we pioneered benchmarking methods and software solutions for quantitative proteomics (LFQBench) and comprehensive raw data access (openTIMS, TIMSpy).

 

Within the DIASyM research core, we optimize and standardize workflows for sample processing, LC-MS analysis and subsequent data processing to achieve an optimal coverage of the plasma proteome in patient and respective population control samples. Together with our partners in DIASyM, we will integrate multilevel OMICs data sets to stratify and phenotype patients suffering from heart failure syndrome.

Clinical Lipidomics

Dr. Laura Bindila

Laura Bindila heads the Clinical Lipidomics Unit at the Institute of Physiological Chemistry at the University Medical Center Mainz which entails Clinical Lipidomics research group and the Clinical Lipidomics Core Facility. Her group focuses on absolute quantification and qualitative lipid profiling in various biospecimens under physiological and pathophysiological conditions –with a particular focus on neurological, cardiovascular and infectious diseases. Additional goals of the group encompass direct translation of disease-associated lipid changes into quantitative biological assays to expedite understanding of underlying disease mechanisms, lipid marker discovery and monitoring, lipid drug target discovery and therapy monitoring.

 

Targeted discovery as well as absolute quantification of selected lipids can be realized by LC/MRM profiling. This approach is especially suitable for low abundant lipids such as lipid signaling and mediators. In the Clinical Lipidomics Core Facility QTRAP-MS is primarily used for targeted analysis. The Clinical Lipidomics Unit is equipped with two high-end mass spectrometry platforms such as the timsTOF Pro 2 and are used for research projects and additionally available for different analyses. To allow high-throughput measurements and to assure reproducible results, fully-automated and semi-automated sample processing protocols have been implemented. Dedicated software solutions as well as the necessary expertise for lipid identification and quantification are available.

 

Within the DIASyM Research Core Dr. Laura Bindila’s group will develop LC-PASEF methods on TimsTOF instruments to allow a deep phenotyping of plasma lipidome in samples of heart failure syndrome patients. In a high-throughput setting lipids will be extracted in an automated fashion from human plasma samples and subjected to untargeted LC-PASEF lipidomic analysis. In combination with proteomic, metabolomic as well as other clinical data sets this will allow a multi-omics evaluation of heart failure syndrome patients. In close collaboration with the Prof. Miguel Andrade’s group new software tools to describe and identify plasma lipids relevant to heart failure disease will be developed.