Robust, reproducible, and easy-to-implement plasma protein profiling workflow using high-flow UHPLC/MS/MS without depletion

The concentration levels of salt, drugs, metabolites, and proteins contained inside plasma span 12 orders of magnitude. Knowing the function and composition of plasma is vital to our health as plasma is a major carrier for biomarkers of disease. It functions to transport nutrients, hormones, and cells, and plays an active role in innate immune response and clotting. In a study of protein-based bio markers, 20,000 proteins are reported in plasma. However, the top 20 constitute 98% of the mass of all proteins, making identifying and quantifying low concentration proteins of interest difficult as a routine practice.

To facilitate the identification and quantification of plasma biomarkers for clinical research, Thermo Fisher Scientific developed a highly robust liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-based protein profiling workflow for the analysis of undepleted plasma. In this application note, Thermo Fisher Scientific discusses the durability of the chromatography system to ensure its capability of handling a large volume injection of plasma samples, hundreds of injections before deep cleaning, and the minimum of carryover.