Measure for Measure:
Center Provides Well-Balanced Space for Mass Analysis
By Jennifer O'Sullivan
and Jason Socrates Bardi
The dozen individuals who help run the TSRI Center for Mass
Spectrometry recently packed up 13 mass spectrometers and
all their related equipment, myriad desks and computers, chemicals,
books, and supplies to move to the facility's new location
in the Stein Clinical Research Center, room SR15. The move,
which provided the opportunity to consolidate the center,
involved clearing lab space on both the P1 level of the Molecular
Biology Building and the first floor of The Beckman Center
for Chemical Sciences.
Months before this "mass exodus" occurred, several of the
center's staff, including Director Gary Siuzdak, went to check
out the new space. Something was wrong, observed surface scientist
Zhouxin Shen.
"He said the design had bad feng shui," Siuzdak recalls
with a smile. "So, we fixed that."
Seeing no reason why good science and feng shui, the ancient
Chinese art of placement, could not coexist, lab members submitted
a plan to the architects hired to design the space, namely
Ken Ederington of JKE Design & Associates. The architects
were slightly taken aback at the suggestion to erect a curved
wall in the middle of the large room. Once given the creative
green light, however, Ederington produced a sleek and functional
solution for a space described by Senior Research Technician
Ken Harris as having been "in danger of feeling like one giant
factory, or else a maze" of smaller compartments. The curve,
says Harris, is just enough to give the area a relaxed feel.
Scientific considerations were of course given top priority
in the design of the new Center for Mass Spectrometry. Harris,
who in 1996 supervised the move of virtually half the facility
from MBB to The Beckman Center, again played an important
role. "We now have a separate room for all the gas tanks,
with connections at each instrument," Harris reports. He also
specified that a small portion of the ceiling be raised above
the large Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) machine
to facilitate the transfer of liquid helium, and that a two-foot
strip of acoustic material be installed on all the lab's walls
to absorb instrument noise. Additionally, electrical engineers
specified overhead lights designed to send light upward and
bounce off the ceiling, thus minimizing the glare of fluorescent
bulbs, and critical instrument power was routed through the
lab in Isoduct—a double-channeled flat conduit—to
provide flexibility and reduce the proliferation of power
cords.
"The best part about the move was that everyone worked together,"
says Harris. "And everyone did quality work—from [Procurement
Buyer] Dave Beauchamp, the architects and DPR Construction,
to [Facilities Director] Julie Milgrim, [Facilities Coordinator]
Morgan Hoffman, and [Maintenance Mechanic] Leonard Jones—we
all came together to make it a success."
The Center for Mass Spectrometry provides a service to TSRI
scientists who want information on biological samples—anything
from small organic molecules to proteins, nucleic acids, lipids,
and whole virus particles.
As a tool, mass spec—which produces, differentiates,
and detects ions in the gas phase—is a useful way to
determine whether a researcher has synthesized the expected
product, because it is fast and requires a bare minimum of
sample. Several picomoles (10-12 moles) or less
may be all that is routinely necessary in most instances,
and the facility has even pushed the limit of detection of
steroids from blood samples to attomole sensitivity (10-18
moles).
Mass spectrometry can be used for advanced studies as well—to
rapidly identify viral mutations or to study protein–protein
interactions, for example, and can also answer simple structural
questions such as, "which residues contact each other?" The
technique is increasingly used in the field of proteomics
to identify particular proteins, as well as to elucidate post-translational
modifications. In fact, the lab has a significant proteomics
division, which routinely performs these analyses.
Before moving to the Stein building, the center had implemented
a paperless analysis request system, developed by Research
Technician Martin Sonderegger. To submit a sample, scientists
can now log on to the center's site either from their own
computers or the mass spec "drive thru" window located at
the front of the new lab space. Scientists complete a request
form online—including instructions, say, to do an exact
mass measurement—and then drop off samples at the facility.
Analysis requests are logged into the center's computers,
allowing scientists to follow their progress electronically
and download the data from an FTP site when it is ready. (Complete
instructions for analysis submission and retrieval can be
found on the FAQ sheet at http://bigdaddy.scripps.edu/faq.asp)
Routine analyses are largely accomplished through the relentless
efforts of the center's staff, which includes Ken Harris,
Bill Webb, Winnie Popovich, Cindy Wranik, Eden Go, Andrew
Meyers, Sunia Trauger, and Kristin Staniszewski. "If the analysis
doesn't work one way, then we send it to another instrument
[using a different technique] and try again," says Siuzdak.
"Finally, once all the analyses are completed it goes to quality
control for a final check."
For those scientists who prefer to do the analysis themselves,
the center maintains an open-access facility. Steve Bark,
who manages the open-access facility, and Research Technician
Bill Webb teach researchers to use the instruments directly,
providing invaluable training for those wishing to learn and
experience mass spectrometry. Both electrospray ionization
(ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI)
instruments are available.
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Form and function—Senior Research
Technician Ken Harris stands in the new Center for Mass Spectrometry
in the Stein Clinical Research Center. Photo
by Gary Siuzdak.
The Center for Mass Spectrometry provides a service
to TSRI scientists who want information on biological samples—anything
from small organic molecules to proteins, nucleic acids, lipids,
and whole virus particles. Photo
by Jennifer O'Sullivan.
For more information:
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