The £1.5m mass spectrometer will enable the study of proteins, lipids and metabolites in cell membranes in exceptional detail
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) awarded the funds and Dr Ivana Milic leads the Aston University research team
The spectrometer will be a resource for the Midlands membrane and bioscience communities.
Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME) and Aston University College of Health and Life Sciences have installed a cutting-edge mass spectrometer to study biological membranes, following a grant of £1.5m from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
The research team is led by Dr Ivana Milic, a lecturer in Aston University School of Biosciences and part of the multidisciplinary AIME. The new Orbitrap Ascend Tribrid mass spectrometer from Thermo Fisher Scientific is configured for the study of biological membranes in utmost detail, enabling researchers to analyse proteins and lipids, and their chemical modifications and metabolites with unmatched sensitivity, precision and speed.
How lipids and proteins within cell membranes work together to ensure cells can communicate, interact and carry out essential functions is still not well understood. Cell membranes undergo tiny but significant chemical changes in response to factors such as stress, ageing and disease. These changes can have a big impact on how cells function, but they are particularly poorly understood. Defining these changes is key to understanding both health and disease processes.
The AIME team’s research is focused on four main objectives, one of which is to explore how proteins and lipids interact within membranes to regulate protein function in health and disease. The team will study membrane proteins such as aquaporins, which transport water in and out of cells, which play roles in conditions like inflammation, cancer and brain injury. This knowledge could lead to the development of more effective drugs and therapies.
Another objective sees the researchers study protein changes under stress and through ageing to identify those signalling processes which go wrong and lead to age-associated disease.
Membranes also form small capsules known as vesicles which carry important cargo which are important in the control of inflammation and healing. The AIME team will identify important molecules carried by vesicles during inflammation and healing, such as rare enzymes, paving the way for new treatments for non-healing wounds and chronic inflammatory conditions.
The researchers will also aim to create engineered membranes that produce active proteins, make industrial microbes more stress-resistant and develop precision drug delivery systems for cancer treatments.
Aston University’s Ascend mass spectrometer is the first such instrument outside of the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’ of London, Cambridge and Oxford. It is available for use to more than 20 membrane and biosciences research groups across the Midlands and across other regions without access to such a device.
Dr Milic said:
“This funding is a huge milestone, not just for our research at Aston University and AIME, but for the entire region. The creation of Ascend, a one-of-a-kind multi-omics platform, will allow us to explore the intricate interactions between proteins and lipids that drive vital cellular processes. This deeper understanding will pave the way to developing new therapeutics for diseases and age-related conditions that currently have poor solutions.
“On a personal note, I’m especially excited about the opportunity this will give us to train and mentor the next generation of Midlands researchers. Providing them with hands-on experience in advanced mass spectrometry will be impactful for their careers and for addressing the critical skills gaps in complex data analyses across the region. This is a true turning point for us, and I’m incredibly grateful for the support.”