APAF ups the discovery ante

The Australian Proteome Analysis Facility (APAF) has "dramatically increased its throughput capability" with the installation of a new Applied Biosystems 4700 Proteomics Discovery System.

According to Prof Mark Baker, APAF director and chief scientific officer, the installation is already reaping benefits just a few days after the delivery of the new system.

"We already have several irons in the fire following the delivery of the new system, and we anticipate some very exciting times ahead. Our business development team is doing extremely well [generating interest] in our capability on a worldwide basis," he asserted.

The new installation links into the Celera Discovery System online platform which offers data access on experimentally identified proteins with respect to biological and molecular function, SNP sites, alternate splice forms and comprehensive genetic information.

The integration of mass spectrometry information with annotated biological and genetic content, plus the ability to generate more definitive protein identifications from highly complex samples offers increased capacity to plot protein families, and pathways involved in metabolic and disease activities.

The instrument was delivered by crane into the fourth floor at APAF's Sydney node, and was squeezed through a window with centimetres to spare. This is the first 4700 to be delivered in Australia and will take several engineers a month to calibrate.

Using TOF/TOF optics technology, the new 4700 is expected to boost APAF's protein characterisation ability across a wide variety of proteomics workflows, including gel-based and multidimensional liquid chromatography (MDLC) experiments as well as the powerful LC-MALDI approach.

APAF business development manager Lindsay Woods said the new equipment was set to make a significant contribution to APAF's capacity for both internal and contracted out work in the proteomics field.

"This equipment will certainly enhance our mass spectroscopy capability in discovery," he said. "The huge advantage is that we don't have to re-run samples through to get the results we want. That is a dramatic improvement for us."

Describing the workflow improvement as a "logarithmic increase", Woods said the enhanced capability had already paid dividends in terms of work for APAF.

"We have already got extra work from people we spoke to at [this week's AusBiotech conference] on the strength of our improved capacity. That is both local and overseas customers; it has made a difference already," he asserted.