Most mass spectrometers can process just a few molecules at once: Reengineered prototype does a billion simultaneously Mass spectrometry is already a powerful tool for determining what kind and how many molecules are present in a given sample.

A new mass spectrometry prototype can process up to a billion molecules simultaneously, offering significantly improved sensitivity and throughput compared to conventional instruments.

I visited the factory ~two weeks ago and, serendipitously, got to show John how we use nano-DESI with PTCR MSn for membrane proteins in tissue. His description of our ions as “precious” (a very nice way to say absurdly low ion counts…) will stick with me!

I’m in San Francisco/Silicon Valley/San Jose for the first time in two years and 1. AI billboards are everywhere and 2. The Waymo cars are WILD.

A shame that the unique flair was lost but the unified design across instruments does look good.

Hamish, I have an important question. Does the Astral Zoom have the purple scan light show of the original Astral?

Thanks for sharing, I’m collecting these!

Integrated Native Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Soluble and Membrane Proteins Native ambient mass spectrometry enables the analysis of intact protein complexes directly from fresh frozen tissue sections together with visualization of their spatial distribution as part of a mass spectrometry imaging workflow. Native mass spectrometry imaging typically employs nanospray-desorption electrospray ionization (nano-DESI), a liquid junction sampling approach. Imaging of both soluble and membrane proteins has been demonstrated by native nano-DESI but, crucially, imaging of one protein type has always been at the expense of the other, requiring tailored sample preparation and multiple tissue sections. Here, we introduce a new mode of nano-DESI operation that combines soluble and membrane protein analysis into a single experiment, requiring no sample preparation and only a single tissue section, and which is compatible with mass spectrometry imaging. Chromatography-like separation of soluble and membrane protein signals, observed as varying elution profiles, occurs when the nano-DESI probe is parked in a fixed location on the tissue. The elution profiles of proteins in both kidney and brain tissue were explored. The results show that elution profiles are quick to record, offer insight into the classification of unknown proteins detected from tissue and enable signal-to-noise improvements to imaging and native top-down mass spectrometry workflows.

Integrated Native Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Soluble and Membrane Proteins #JACS pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

This is astonishing news. Welshpool and the surrounding area is mega #LeTour2027

Nomination for the Early Career Researchers (ECR) Committee (term: 2026-2028) of the Consortium for Top-Down Proteomics Open to: academia, industry, and government Criteria: (1) PhD scientist, (2) Within 10 years of graduation, (3) Actively involved in the field of intact protein analysis by mass spectrometry (broadly ...

Nominations for the #EarlyCareerResearchers (ECR) Committee of the Consortium for Top-Down Proteomics for the 2026-2028 term are open. We encourage nominations of motivated early-career researchers (including self-nominations) who are passionate about advancing top-down proteomics. #teammassspec

Close enough from my perspective up in “>20 um land”!

Wouldn’t be surprised to see a transmission geometry MALDI source in a new tTFlex after a very nice recent paper showed sub-um imaging resolution. Would line up with the new MALDI stage in the patent.

NanoDESI allows spatial intact protein complex analysis!?! Well...this one looks like magic... I was reading it on my phone yesterday, but I'm reasonably sure this was a custom Nano DESI source equ...

Thanks for the fun write-up @proteomicsnews.bsky.social!
Can confirm, all done with a home-built ion source attached to an Orbitrap Ascend. Only mouse and rat tissue here though.

proteomicsnews.blogspot.com/2025/12/nano...

Imaging of Protein Assemblies up to 231 kDa in Tissues with Nano-DESI Mass Spectrometry Understanding the distribution of proteins and their assemblies in tissues is a major challenge in spatial biology. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) with nanospray-desorption electrospray ionization (n...

My latest paper is out in Analytical Chemistry (open-access): pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Imaging of Protein Assemblies up to 231 kDa in Tissues with Nano-DESI Mass Spectrometry Understanding the distribution of proteins and their assemblies in tissues is a major challenge in spatial biology. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) with nanospray-desorption electrospray ionization (nano-DESI) has previously enabled detection, imaging, and identification of intact protein complexes directly from tissues, including protein assemblies and pathological protein–metal complexes in neurodegenerative disease. To date, nano-DESI MSI has been most effective for lower molecular weight (MW) complexes (<100 kDa), with an upper limit of 113 kDa. Here, we demonstrate nano-DESI at molecular weights up to 231 kDa, more than doubling the previous limit, by combining nano-DESI with a new mass spectrometer system architecture designed for higher MW analysis. Both mouse brain and rat kidney tissues were analyzed. Importantly, protein identification by native top-down MS was performed exclusively by use of nano-DESI. That is, complementary techniques for protein identification, such as liquid extraction surface analysis, were not necessary. Both homo- and heteromeric proteoform assemblies were identified in complex with endogenous small-molecule and metal ion cofactors. The developments lead the way to the analysis of larger oligomeric protein assemblies and protein complexes, cementing nano-DESI as a tool for structural biology, and with implications for molecular pathology and drug discovery.

Imaging of Protein Assemblies up to 231 kDa in Tissues with Nano-DESI Mass Spectrometry #AC pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Join us December 11 for Jared Shaw's presentation at Proteoform Thursday: "Ribosome Heterogeneity Revealed by Complex-Up Native Mass Spectrometry and Top-Down Proteomics" us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #proteoforms #proteomics #massspec @ge-lab-uw.bsky.social @joelooucla.bsky.social

Multistage Tandem Mass Spectrometry Using an Electron-Activated Dissociation Device with a Linear Ion Trap and Structural Identification of Cardiolipins We have developed an electron-activated dissociation (EAD) device with product isolation functionality for multistage tandem mass spectrometry (MSn). The EAD portion is a branched magneto-radio frequency ion trap with an electron beam source, and we attached a linear radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) ion trap (or D trap) to one of the branches of the EAD device. Because the D trap was installed inside a strong ring permanent magnet, we made the linear quadrupole rods from para-magnetic stainless steel, which works as a magnetic shield. Using this D trap, we isolated a fragment produced by the first dissociation technique, which can be further fragmented by collision-induced dissociation (CID) or EAD. Using the new EAD-D trap, we demonstrated a near-complete structural identification of cardiolipins via an MS3 workflow with CID followed by electronically excited dissociation (EED) after isolation from the CID products. The number of double bonds, their positions, and cis/trans isomerism in each acyl group, as well as the regioisomerism of acyl chains, were fully identified; however, the only remaining structural ambiguity of the cardiolipins was the chirality at the central carbon of the central glycerol group. We identified 18 cardiolipins in Escherichia coli (E. coli) extract.

Exciting to see the MSn space hotting up from so many angles, research labs and vendors at the moment. New from Sciex.

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

I love the versatility of hybrid linear ion trap-HRMS instruments.

It also seems impressively user-friendly. The new nanoESI source will be popular.

Xevo CD-MS, Waters MS HQ

Fun day out at Waters charge detection mass spectrometry (CD-MS) technology day.

Really interesting work.

I thought I just couldn’t find the correct stream… but no, more nickel and diming. Wasn’t the sub price increase enough? Time to cancel.

Never mind: found what I was after at the end of the “timsOmni-ebook”.

“<4500 m/z quadrupole isolation in transmission mode and 150 to >10,000 m/z omni-Q2 isolaton in trapping mode”

Are these specs actually in any documents? Seems to be a lot of missing info. Would love to know Q2 omnitrap isolation range and whether photo activation has to be added by the end user…

I hope this thing is a monster. Looking forward to seeing how it is for membrane protein top-down MS especially.

Beautiful start to May in the UK midlands ☀️☀️☀️

Conversely, it seems that Waters are implementing a heated ion transfer tube on their ELIT CDMS (I would usually associate this inlet type with Thermo) and Bruker are even using an SRIG for the front end of timsOmni. I think we’re just witnessing technological convergence and maturation.

Fascinating! I’m not able to make ASMS this year so I’ll be absorbing what I can online.

Any indication of isolation m/z limit on new “Exploris” with that m/z 12,000 detection range? And definitely ETD and not ECD?

Wouldn’t be surprised to finally see an Exploris UHMR.

I remember your poster on this at… I think…IMSC 2022, Hamish! Cool to see it developed further. Was there any relation to this work and the curved IRM on Stellar?