Importance of the topic
The 6th Conference of the Czech Society for Mass Spectrometry (Olomouc, March 29–31, 2017) brought together experts in the field of analytical chemistry and mass spectrometry. This gathering underlines the critical role of mass spectrometry techniques in contemporary research areas ranging from fundamental studies of biomolecular structure and reaction kinetics to applications in clinical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, food safety, and industrial quality control.
Objectives and overview
- Exchange state-of-the-art developments in instrumentation, sample preparation, data acquisition, and analysis strategies.
- Showcase novel methodologies and applications, including ion mobility, ambient ionization, high-resolution multistage fragmentation, and imaging mass spectrometry.
- Discuss challenges and solutions related to complex sample matrices, reaction monitoring, and quantitative accuracy.
- Highlight emerging trends in proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics, and speciation analysis.
Methodology and instrumentation
- Techniques: ESI-MS, MALDI-TOF/TOF and MALDI imaging, APCI, APPI, SIFDT, PTR/SIFT-MS, nano-ESI, and surface-assisted LDI (SALDI).
- Separation platforms: UHPLC, GC-MS(/MS), HILIC, 2D-LC, SFC, TLC coupled to DLTV ICP-MS, and capillary electrophoresis.
- High-resolution instruments: Orbitrap, Q-TOF, FT-ICR; tandem quadrupole MS (triple quadrupole) for targeted quantification; instruments with ion mobility separation.
- Sample preparation: ambient ion soft-landing on functionalized chips, thermal desorption, SPME, protein cross-linking, HRPD for protein–ligand structural studies, isotope labeling techniques.
Main results and discussion
- Structural mass spectrometry and ion mobility provided insights into protein–DNA and protein–protein interactions, receptor conformations, and high-valent metal-oxo species.
- Innovative ion sources and interfaces enabled APCI and APPI at low microflow rates, extending mass spectrometry to analytes historically incompatible with nanoESI.
- Advanced chromatography (UHPLC, SFC, TLC-DLTV ICP-MS) and MALDI-SALDI coupling achieved ultratrace quantification and speciation of vitamins, lipids, pesticides, trace metals, and toxins in complex matrices.
- Combined proteomic and phosphoproteomic workflows (SILAC, phosphopeptide enrichment, SWATH DIA) revealed signaling pathways, drug-target interactions, and post-translational regulation in cancer cells, neurodegenerative models, and infection studies.
- Metabolomic and lipidomic profiling by MS/MS and high-resolution multistage fragmentation exposed disease biomarkers, therapeutic drug metabolites, and microbial siderophores with spatial imaging in tissue and biofluids.
- Species identification of insects, microorganisms, and volatile organic compounds in breath or environment was achieved via MALDI profiling, ion mobility SIFDT kinetics, and GC-VUV methods for forensics, environmental monitoring, and epidemiology.
Benefits and practical applications
- Enhanced structural elucidation at low concentration enables rational drug design, biomarker discovery, and mechanistic enzymology.
- Quantitative multiresidue assays and high-throughput MS/MS platforms meet regulatory requirements in clinical and industrial laboratories.
- Ambient and imaging mass spectrometry techniques facilitate nondestructive sampling for tissue imaging, food authenticity, and forensic analyses.
- Combined omics approaches integrate proteomic, metabolomic, and lipidomic data to increase confidence in biological interpretation and to identify critical molecular pathways.
Future trends and opportunities
- Wider adoption of ion mobility separation to resolve isomeric and conformational variants in complex mixtures.
- Further integration of microfluidics, ambient sampling, and online multidimensional separations for real-time analytics.
- Development of in vivo and in situ MS techniques for noninvasive diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and precision agriculture.
- Expanded use of data-independent acquisition (SWATH, DIA) for unbiased and reproducible quantification in large-scale omics studies.
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning for automated spectral annotation, pattern recognition, and predictive modeling.
Conclusion
The conference underscored mass spectrometry’s versatility and its fast evolution into a high-throughput, high-definition analytical powerhouse. Cutting-edge ionization sources, separation methods, and data-processing tools continue to expand the technique’s reach into areas such as structural biology, metabolomics, environmental forensics, and clinical diagnostics. Interdisciplinary collaboration and technological innovation promise to further advance both fundamental and applied mass spectrometry research.
References
- Proceedings of the 6th Conference of the Czech Society for Mass Spectrometry, Olomouc 2017.
- Engelmann X. et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016;55:7632–7649.
- Müller MQ. et al. Anal. Chem. 2010;82:6958–6968.
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