Dr. Michael Brad Strader, a researcher from National Institutes of Health (NIH) visits the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus

Dr. Michael Brad Strader, a researcher from the Laboratory of Neurotoxicology , National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Professor of Mass Spectrometry at the NIH Bio tract course on Proteomics was invited to present 2 seminars and a 2-day workshop on Mass Spectrometry at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus on June 19 and 20, 2008. His visit was sponsored by the Clinical Proteomics Core Facility and included the following 2 seminars: "Introduction to LC-MS/MS for peptide and protein identification” and “Using Top-Down and Bottom up Mass Spectrometry to Characterize Post-translational Modifications from the 70S Ribosome of Rhodopseudomonas palustris". The workshop included the following topics : 1) Basic theory behind gas phase fragmentation using CID, de novo sequencing, database search engines and mascot program. 2) Relative quantification using mass spectrometry, 3) An integrated mass spectrometric approach to characterize a novel PTM from the E. coli ribosomal protein S12. This session will include some of the metabolic labeling methods used in this research.

Seventeen attendees (students, faculty, and staff) presented to the seminars and workshops that generated interesting discussions and benefited the development of the Proteomics core and the experimental systems. Dr. Stradder presented excellent recommendations on additional instrumentation for the LTQ MS MS and analyses programs that will improve the system for high throughput performance. Dr. Stradder also met with faculty from the Departments of Microbiology and Biochemistry and graduate students. He will be available to provide hands on workshops on protein analyses with novel programs during the next year. We will certainly keep this in mind.

Loyda M. Melendez, Ph.D.
Director
Clinical Proteomcis Core Facility