Utrecht University Appointment to Advance Large Protein Research Using Orbitrap Technology

The Executive Board of Utrecht University, by special appointment, named Alexander Makarov, Ph.D, professor of high resolution mass spectrometry at the Bijvoet Center of the Department of Chemistry.

Makarov is Director of Global Research, Life Science Mass Spectrometry (LSMS) for Thermo Fisher Scientific.

"I hope this appointment will become a bridge that connects academia to industry," Makarov said. "I want to make it easier for students and industrial scientists to learn from each other."

The new chair was created to advance research of new applications for analyzing large proteins and protein assemblies using Orbitrap technology. These may include detailed measurements of biologically important species, including biopharmaceuticals. Makarov lead the team that developed Orbitrap technology, which transformed a large sector of analytical science, and this appointment represents a strengthening of the existing research collaboration between the LSMS team and the proteomics group of Utrecht, which is lead by professor Albert Heck.

At the Bijvoet Center, pharmacists, chemists and biologists conduct research into and offer a research training program about the relationships between the structures and functions of biomolecules.