We apply our expertise in proteomics by improving sample preparation methods for increasing sequence coverage and by developing new ways to profile proteins in complex mixtures.

Virtual 2D-Gel Electrophoresis/MS - The virtual two-dimensional gel electrophoresis/mass spectrometry (virtual 2D gel/MS) technology combines the premier, high-resolution capabilities of 2D gel electrophoresis with the sensitivity and high mass accuracy of mass spectrometry. Gel-wide chemical and enzymatic methods with further interrogation by MALDI-MS/MS provide identifications, sequence-related information, and post-translational/transcriptional modification information. The MS imaging-based virtual 2D gel/MS platform may potentially link the benefits of “top-down” and “bottom-up” proteomics.

Discovering New Protein Targets of Ligand Binding – With Professor Jing Huang (UCLA Pharmacology), we are developing a high-throughput LC-MS platform coupled to a universally applicable target identification approach to analyze direct small-molecule binding to its protein target(s). DARTS (drug affinity responsive target stability) relies on a well-known phenomenon in which ligand binding causes thermodynamic stabilization of its target protein’s structure such that the protein becomes resistant to a variety of insults, including proteolysis. DARTS allows the protein target of a ligand to be revealed without requiring modification or immobilization of the small molecule. Coupled with our improved MS platform, DARTS is a powerful method for discovering new protein targets and regulatory functions of drugs and metabolites.