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Research

Our research is focused on the structural analysis of biological macromolecules and their non-covalent complexes in the gas phase. In particular, we are interested in applying ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) and gas-phase spectroscopy for the I) characterization and sequencing of complex carbohydrates and II) studying the folding, misfolding and assembly of proteins. To learn more about the currently pursued projects select one of the topics below.

Topics

IM-MS and Cold-Ion Spectroscopy of Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates such as those involved in protein glycosylation are branched, stereochemically complex molecules which are difficult to characterize using established techniques. We are analyzing carbohydrates using ion mobility-mass spectrometry – a method, which simultaneously provides information about the mass and charge but also size and shape of a molecule. Additionally, cold-ion spectroscopy in the mid-IR regime delivers highly resolved gas-phase IR spectra enabling the identification of smallest structural differences…

Protein Folding, Misfolding and Aggregation

Pre-fibrillar, polydisperse assemblies are the dominant toxic species in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. These oligomers are notoriously erratic and cannot be isolated easily in solution. We analyze amyloid oligomers in the gas phase where particular oligomeric states can be probed specifically without changing the equilibrium…

Gas-Phase Spectroscopy

In solution, IR spectroscopy is a well-established tool to study the secondary structure of peptides and proteins. We are using tunable, high intensity IR radiation provided by the FHI free electron laser to measure IR spectra in the well-defined clean room environment of the gas phase…

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Collaborations and Fundings

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