Mass Spectrometry

From studying heavy metal contamination in water to illuminating how drugs are metabolized by the body to understanding how proteins in cells change in response to changes in their environment, the Mass Spectrometry (MassSpec) Core enables a wide breadth of research with its state-of-the-art instrumentation.

Located on the fifth floor of the Life Science Laboratories (LSL), MassSpec is directed by Stephen Eyles, extension professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB). Eyles completed a post doc in the biochemistry department at UMass Amherst before taking over the university’s MassSpec facility in 2000. Since then, the facility has become centralized as one of the Cores and has grown from two instruments to 12, largely thanks to a generous investment from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC).

The facility's most recent acquisition is the Synapt G2-32K Mass Spectrometer, made possible through a grant from MSLC's Research Infrastructure program. "This equipment allows us to look at proteins and their interactions with other biomolecules directly in their native state under near-physiological conditions and to probe these interactions in detail,” explained Eyles. These capabilities make it possible for new users, particularly from Massachusetts biotech and pharma companies, to work with UMass Amherst.

According to Eyles, most users of the facility are UMass faculty and students from many departments on campus, including analytical chemistry, food science, geology, microbiology, and biochemistry. The facility also serves researchers from the Five Colleges, as well as those from small and medium biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

“We have a unique range of equipment, which they can come out and use at a very affordable rate,” he said. “This is especially valuable for small start-up companies that don’t have the funding to buy this equipment on their own.”

Many of the industry scientists are former UMass students who trained at the facility.

“We have a fairly constant flow of graduates going out into the biopharma arena,” said Eyles. “A lot of times they come back to work with us because they have experience with the equipment and are familiar with the expertise we provide.”

The facility’s focus on training students in mass spectrometry is part of what makes UMass Amherst’s facility unique.

“At a lot of places, researchers just submit a sample and get the results back. Here, we bring students into the lab to talk through the experimental design; show them how to use the instruments so they can get their own results; and assist with data analysis to make those results meaningful,” he said. “This gives students a huge advantage when they go on to careers.”

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Stacey Nash is a fifth-year graduate student in the molecular and cellular biology program, working in Professor of Chemistry Richard Vachet’s lab. She uses the MassSpec facility in her research on amyloid formation, which is involved in Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases. After earning her master's degree, Nash hopes to work in the pharmaceutical industry or in instrument development.