Bruker Reveals its Latest Phenomics and Proteomics Innovations at ASMS

At the 66th ASMS Conference, Bruker announced innovative mass spectrometry products and workflows for breakthroughs in life-science research, clinical research and large-cohort validations in phenomics and proteomics, novel biopharma applications, and in applied toxicology and forensics markets. The new scimaX system is designed to enable high-throughput phenomics by extreme resolution magnetic resonance mass spectrometry, and the revolutionary timsTOF™ Pro for next-generation proteomics.

Bruker introduces the scimaXTM Magnetic Resonance Mass Spectrometer (MRMS) that delivers industry-leading mass resolution exceeding twenty million (R > 20,000,000), in a smaller footprint and without the need for any liquid cryogens. Bruker’s novel conduction-cooled Maxwell™ magnet technology essentially makes the magnet ‘invisible’ and allows the use of highest-performance MRMS in standard mass spectrometry laboratories.

This extreme MRMS resolution allows isotopic fine structure (IFS) analysis to easily determine exact elemental formulae in complex mixtures, without any chromatography. Using this unique capability, the scimaX enables the novel workflow of flow injection analysis (FIA-MRMS) for large cohort, high-throughput phenomics studies with up to 200 samples per day. Biopharma users can perform advanced native protein and fragment-based drug discovery studies using MRMS, which has recently been called a “bona-fide” platform for native protein analysis in the scientific literature. With an optional MALDI source, pharma customers have demonstrated the exceptional capabilites of MRMS for label-free MS imaging for PK/PD studies in drug development.

Dr. Steve Gross, Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, said: “Bruker's new scimaX MRMS system is a game-changer for ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry. By eliminating the burden and costs of liquid cryogen fills and lab renovations as a barrier to instrument installation, scimaX is available to any MS lab in need of maximal mass resolution to answer high-impact scientific questions.”

Bruker’s revolutionary timsTOF™ Pro for next-generation proteomics uses four dimensions (4D) of separation in this unique nLC-TIMS-MS/MS instrument. It combines proprietary, dual Trapped Ion Mobilitiy Spectrometry (TIMS) using the just published online PASEF method1 , which has the potential to dramatically improve high-throughput and ultrahigh sensitivity proteomics. The timsTOF Pro, has been further enhanced for ASMS, and is now also compatible with MaxQuant v1.6.2.0, and PEAKS Studio v8.5 for protein identification (ID), label-free quantitation (LFQ), and tandem mass tag (TMT) workflows. Rapid development by third-party software collaborators is enabled by Bruker’s open file format, and several additional groups are developing timsTOF Pro compatibility into their software suites.

Also new is full integration with the Evosep One separation device with Bruker’s Hystar LC/MS control for high-throughput clinical proteomics of up to 200 samples per day. This novel combination delivers superb sensitivity (50 ng HeLa) and high throughput for LFQ of ~1,200 proteins in only ~5 minutes.

Dr. Tadashi Yamamoto, Director of the Biofluid Biomarker Center (BBC), and Emeritus Professor at Niigata University in Japan, stated: “I was impressed with the sensitivity of the timsTOF Pro PASEF workflow. It could routinely identify a low-level C-peptide in urine that other vendors could not easily identify. This critical advance in sensitivity was a key factor for my decision to introduce this new technology in my laboratory.”

Dr. Gary Kruppa, Bruker’s VP of Proteomics, added: “We are pleased that the high sensitivity PASEF workflow is being validated by our proteomics customers. It is also attracting biopharma applications for host cell protein (HCP) characterization, as higher sensitivity allows for the identification of more proteins that were previously not identified. Given its industry-leading robustness due to its orthogonal source and dual-TIMS funnel, the timsTOF Pro has the potential to become the preferred workhorse for high sensitivity HCP characterization in biopharma.”

Bruker’s ASMS 2018 introductions also include the spotON LC-MALDI spotter for automated, wizard-based workflows that include post-column matrix addition, supporting both nano and capillary HPLCs. The spotON LC-MALDI facilitates the use of the complementary MALDI technique in biopharma applications, such as for sequencing by non-conventional proteolytic enzymes, for the determination of disulfide bonds, for glycopeptide identification, for top-down sequencing of membrane proteins, and for the identification of protein clips through Nand C-terminal sequencing. The spotON has superior carry-over performance and includes an optional nitrogen mask for spotting in an inert environment.

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