MALDI-TOF instruments suitable alternatives to nano-LC-MS

The increased precision of MALDI-TOF instruments is making them into a suitable replacement for nano-LC-MS technology for detection in Stable Isotope Standards and Capture by Anti-Peptide Antibodies (SISCAPA) assays.

Bruker Corporation and SISCAPA Assay Technologies demonstrated that SISCAPA MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry can provide improved precision for the quantification of proteins such as high value protein biomarkers. The system was also found to be much easier and far more robust by researchers who will present their results in the Journal of Proteome Research.

MALDI-TOF are considered by many researchers to be lacking in precision, which makes it unsuitable for the quantitative analysis used in most clinical biomarker assays. However, MALDI-TOF technology has advanced in recent years and now includes many features that render this previously problematic state.

High repetition rate lasers (up to 1 kHz) and automated self cleaning ion sources are two such features that allow for faster results that can be maintained on a  24/7 basis. They have also been found to add much needed consistency.

Leigh Anderson, Ph.D, is the inventor of SISCAPA, and commented that: "Our paper demonstrates the very high precision of MALDI-TOF for peptide quantitation using internal standards, and establishes a solid basis for further exploring the utility of SISCAPA MALDI-TOF in biomarker verification and preclinical research."

Posted by Ben Evans