Thermo Fisher Scientific
Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced that it is the
lead sponsor of the upcoming Uppsala Conference on Electron Capture and Transfer
Dissociation. The conference, organized by Dr. Joshua J. Coon from the departments
of chemistry and biomolecular chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, will
be held in Madison, Wisconsin, from December 7-10, 2008.
Electron capture dissociation (ECD) and electron transfer dissociation
are related techniques that help scientists doing protein research obtain greater
understanding of proteins and their functions in biological systems.
spectrometers with ECD or ETD capabilities, researchers can more accurately
identify proteins and pinpoint how and where they are modified. These modifications
can have profound effects on the biological functions of proteins and provide
critical insight into differences between healthy and diseased organisms.
The conference’s scientific program will focus on four major themes:
ion–electron interaction fundamentals, instrument development, applications
in biology and related bioinformatics. Highlights will include presentations
from the conference’s founder, Professor Roman Zubarev of Uppsala University
in Sweden, Dr. Steve Gygi of Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Jim Stephenson
of the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina.
The meeting’s host, Dr. Joshua Coon, is a pioneer in combining ETD with
tandem mass spectrometry, in particular the Thermo Scientific LTQ Orbitrap™.
He uses the technique in his research of developmental biology, where the powerful
combination of high resolution and accurate mass is pivotal in achieving definitive
“We are proud to be supporting the conference,” says Amy Zumwalt,
proteomics marketing programs manager for life sciences mass spectrometry at
Thermo Fisher Scientific. “ETD is a groundbreaking tool in mass spectrometry,
and it is vital that scientific information is shared among the community working
in this growing field. At least 150 research groups are using ETD to solve biological
problems they were unable to solve before.”
Thermo Fisher Scientific is a leading developer of electron transfer dissociation
technology, offering several high-performance mass spectrometers with ETD capability.
It also provides software designed specifically to better analyze data produced
by ETD analyses. The Uppsala meeting will feature talks from Andreas Hühmer
and John Syka of Thermo Fisher Scientific, who will be presenting the latest
information on the application of ETD on the Thermo Scientific LTQ XL and LTQ
Orbitrap XL mass spectrometers.
“The ETD technique was developed with post-translational modifications
in mind,” adds Andreas Hühmer, proteomics marketing director at Thermo
Fisher Scientific. “If you need to find PTMs on proteins, then ETD is
essential. The Uppsala Conference will be an indispensable event for those wanting
to both learn about the technique and to explore its potential for their applications.”
The meeting is being held at Madison’s historic Monona Terrace Community
and Conference Center, and the deadline for registration is November 14.
registration form can be found at the Uppsala Conference website.
After the conference, the Thermo Fisher Scientific sessions will be available
for download free-of -charge at www.thermo.com/proteomics.