UVPD-MS

Cell membrane lipids and the corresponding metabolites are of utmost importance for a plethora of biological processes. They are involved in inter- and intracellular signaling cascades and determine the physical properties of the cell membrane. Specific lipids can be linked to diseases such as diabetes or cancer.  Despite the importance of lipids for biology, medicine and biochemistry no available method enables to probe specific structural motifs of lipids in complex biological samples.

Therefore, we develop instrumental analytical-chemical methods that allow to selectively cleave specific bonds of lipids by using UV photons and to detect the corresponding fragments by means of mass spectrometry. Among the most important aspects of the project are the investigation of the physico-chemical fundamentals of the UV-induced photodissociation, the development of suitable instrumentation (ion sources, mass spectrometers, laser setup) as well as software tools. In addition, the investigations intend to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of UVPD by optimizing the experimental conditions and corresponding chemical reactions.

Contact:

• Dr. Sven Heiles

Funded by a Liebig Fellowship (Fonds der chemischen Industrie)