Advancements in mass spectrometry methods

Guest Editors

Stephanie Rankin-Turner, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, US
Veit Schwämmle, PhD, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Rene Peiman Zahedi, PhD, University of Manitoba, Canada

BMC Methods welcomed submissions to a Collection on Advancements in mass spectrometry methods. This Collection aimed to provide an overview of powerful experimental and computational methods in mass spectrometry to enhance usability and reproducibility. These can be optimized experimental protocols, new technologies, innovative instrumentation, improve sample preparation methods, advanced data analysis workflows, and software tools that collectively improve the accuracy and efficiency of mass spectrometry-based research.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Stephanie Rankin-Turner, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, USA

Dr Stephanie Rankin-Turner is Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. She has over 10 years of experience in analytical chemistry across academia and industry, including the pharmaceutical and forensic science sectors. She primarily works in the field of mass spectrometry, with her current research focusing on the development of ambient ionization mass spectrometry techniques for the real-time analysis of the human metabolome.

Veit Schwämmle, PhD, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Dr Veit Schwämmle is Associate Professor for Computational Proteomics and Bioinformatics in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Denmark. He received his PhD degree in Physics at the University of Stuttgart in 2006, followed by post-doctoral fellowships at the Centro de Pesquisas Fisicas in Rio de Janeiro and ETH Zürich, and an employment as post-doctoral researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Denmark.

Before changing to the field of Bioinformatics in 2008, he created and applied computer models to simulate sand dunes, biological evolution, and linguistic phenomena, and worked on a generalization of statistical mechanics using generalized entropies and Fokker-Planck equations.

Rene Peiman Zahedi, PhD, University of Manitoba, Canada

Dr Zahedi is full professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at University of Manitoba, and Director of the Manitoba Centre for Proteomics and Systems Biology.

He received his MSc in Biochemistry from the University of Bochum/Germany in 2004 and his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Wuerzburg/Germany in 2008. After two years as a postdoctoral fellow, he became principal investigator at the Leibniz-Institute for Analytical Sciences (ISAS) in Dortmund/Germany. In 2018, he became Associate Director of the Segal Cancer Proteomics Centre in Montreal and associated member of McGill’s Centre for Translational Research in Cancer.

Dr Zahedi’s research focuses on the development of methods for the sensitive analysis of proteins and their post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as protein phosphorylation, proteolytic cleavage (N-terminomics), and redox modifications, and the translational of these methods to clinical samples. He has published over 170 peer-reviewed scientific articles.

About the Collection

Mass spectrometry plays a crucial role in the realms of analytical chemistry, enabling the precise identification and quantification of diverse molecules. Continuous advancements in the field are enhancing sensitivity, speed, and accuracy in the analysis of complex samples. For instance, the development of ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometers and tribrid instruments combine the strengths of different mass analyzers, enabling simultaneous analysis of multiple analytes in complex samples with improved resolution and sensitivity. Furthermore, advancements in ionization techniques, such as electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), have expanded the range of analytes that can be analyzed by mass spectrometry, whereas ambient ionization MS has opened up the possibility of rapid, in situ analysis. These developments have led to significant progress in various fields, including proteomics, metabolomics, forensics, environmental analysis, and pharmaceutical research. In addition to instrumentation, there have been significant advances in data analysis algorithms and sample preparation techniques, paving the way for more accessible and user-friendly mass spectrometry platforms.

As mass spectrometry continues to evolve, BMC Methods launched this Collection on Advancements in mass spectrometry methods. We encouraged submissions on:

High-resolution mass spectrometry
Sample preparation
Quantitative analysis techniques
Imaging mass spectrometry
Single-cell mass spectrometry
Spatial mass spectrometry
Integration with multi-omics data
Advances in software and data processing and analysis tools/algorithms
Miniaturization and portable mass spectrometry

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Methodology and protocol articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Advancements in mass spectrometry methods" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.