• Carbon Dating of Cave Art - Mass Spectrometry dates prehistoric cave paintings in southern France...


• On the Nose - MS shows mice prefer to mate with partners that express different MHC genes...


• Special Delivery - A mass spectrometer is delivered to the international space station...


• Molecular Hitchhiking on a Comet - Mass spectrometry shows molecules can survive an impact with Earth...


• Mass Spectrometry Unearths Mexico's Maize - Accelerator MS provides evidence of early agriculture in Mexico...


• Mass of the Universe -Scientists may finally have a reliable estimate of the mass of the universe...


• Airport Security - Ion mobility mass spectrometry to detect narcotics at airports...


• MS at the Olympics - Mass spectrometry keeps the athletes honest...


• more past features...

• Ion Formula by Mol. Weight
• Isotope Pattern Calculator
• Mass Loss Calculator
• Periodic e-Table

• EMBL Peptide Search - protein ID from peptide mass and sequence data
• FindMod - post-translational modifications by peptide mass
• GlycanMass - oligosaccharide mass from structure
• GlycoMod - oligosaccharide structures from mass
• GlycoSuiteDB - search database with oligosaccharide mass
• Javascript Protein Digest - peptide digest masses
• Javascipt Fragment Ion Generator for peptides
• Mascot Search - peptide mass and sequence tools
• Mowse - protein identification from peptide MS data
• Protein Prospector - mass spectra interpretation tools
• PROWL - identification of proteins from MS data

Mass Spectrometry Skills in Demand for Drug Discovery

John Michnowicz, the Proteomics Program Manager for Agilent Technologies, describes the value of mass spectrometry skills in drug discovery teams in a Nature Drug Discovery article.

Broadly trained scientists with mass spectrometry skills add great value to drug discovery teams according to Michnowicz. During the past decade, the technological improvements in mass spectrometry have had a significant impact on drug discovery and development. Modern liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) using the various forms of atmospheric-pressure ionization (API) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) have made the identification and quantification of complex and liable molecules a routine procedure. Oligonucleotides, peptides, proteins and small-molecule drug candidates can be now be screened using mass spectrometry in a highly automated, high-throughput manner.

But Michnowicz notes that although manufacturers have greatly simplified the operation of mass spectrometers, the average mass-spectrometer laboratory will normally be staffed with several Ph.D.-level scientists who have expertise in mass spectrometry. This has placed a great demand for people with expertise in this technique. The current shortage of MS talent clearly opens up significant opportunities for students entering universities to study advanced degrees.

A new graduate with a solid MS background is 'hot property' in today's employment environment, but this value is considerably enhanced by knowledge of an application area, such as biochemistry or toxicology.

The full article appears in Nature Drug Discovery.

 

 

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