New LC-MS System Provides Revolutionary Depth of Analysis and Usability

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc has introduced the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) system, combining its three mass analysers –quadrupole, Orbitrap and linear ion trap – in a novel ‘Tribrid’ architecture that offers unprecedented depth of analysis of complex biological samples.

One way the Orbitrap Fusion system can address throughput challenges is through tandem mass tags (TMT). This technique enables mass spectrometers to determine relative quantification of proteins in multiple samples simultaneously. The Orbitrap Fusion instrument dramatically increases depth and quality of data compared to previous tools to make TMT results far better. The new platform takes advantage of MS³ selectivity to improve quantitative accuracy, and can collect twice as many MS³ scans per unit time, at significantly greater sensitivity than was previously possible. New TMT reagents are also available from Thermo Fisher, allowing comprehensive, simultaneous analysis of up to 10 samples.

This Tribrid configuration enables users to positively identify larger numbers of low-abundance proteins faster than previously possible with existing commercial instruments. Its unique architecture enables simultaneous precursor isolation, fragmentation, and data acquisition in both the Orbitrap and linear ion trap mass analysers. More high-quality data can be collected compared to existing instruments, expanding the range of possible experiments.

The ability to choose between fragmentation modes at any stage of MSⁿ analysis with detection by the Orbitrap or linear ion trap analyser makes possible a range of novel experiments to achieve a new level of structural information from metabolites, glycans, posttranslational modifications and sequence polymorphisms.

New intelligent software on the Orbitrap Fusion LC-MS provides Dynamic Scan Management (DSM), a capability that automatically adjusts scan parameters as experiments are running to achieve optimal results.

The Orbitrap Fusion system features a novel, easy-to-use drag and drop method editor that removes most of the guesswork from setting up complex methods. This is part of a comprehensive suite of MS software that supports the platform’s unprecedented usability.