Capitalizing on recent rapid advances in mass spectrometry instrumentation to deliver the much needed improved sensitivity, selectivity and throughput in protein modification analysis, proteomics, glycomics and glycoproteomics, without compromising precision. The current focus areas and enabling MS-based techniques to be developed include:
- high throughput and high sensitivity LC-MS/MS-based mapping and sequencing of complex N- and O-glycans, towards a global and targeted glycomics of sufficient breadth and depth;
- functional sulfoglycomics, towards unraveling myriad sulfated glycotopes implicated in mediating cell-cell interactions, particularly those of human and mouse myeloid and lymphoid cells and tissues;
- glycopeptide sequencing/identification MS data acquisition and analysis workflows, towards efficient localization of biologically implicated and/or structurally interesting glycotopes onto their protein carriers;
- quantitative determination of site-specific Cys modifications and the dynamics of their inter-conversion, particularly those of receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase