April 5, 2018
Keio University Institute for Advanced Biosciences
A research group led by Project Lecturer Akiyoshi Hirayama and Professor Tomoyoshi Soga at the Keio University Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture) has newly developed a highly sensitive metabolome measurement method using sheathless CE-MS.
The metabolome analysis method using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS), pioneered by IAB, is a powerful biotechnology that can simultaneously analyze thousands of ionic metabolites present in cells. It is widely used in a broad range of fields from basic to applied research, including medicine, chemistry, food, agriculture, environment, and energy.
In this study, IAB developed a new interface for CE-MS and, by replacing the conventional interface with this new one, succeeded in increasing the measurement sensitivity for cationic metabolites by up to 13 times, with an average increase of approximately 4.4 times.
This research was supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) under its Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (AMED-CREST) program, "Creation of Innovative Medical Technology Based on the Analysis of Metabolites in Diseases and Metabolic Control" (Research Director: Dr. Takao Shimizu), as well as by Yamagata Prefecture and Tsuruoka City. The results of this research were published in the online edition of *Electrophoresis* on March 25, 2018.
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