Interfaculty Mass Spectrometry Center (IMSC)

Interfaculty Mass Spectrometry Center (IMSC)

Mass spectrometry services and infrastructure for LC-MS/MS analysis, proteomics, and metabolomics. Facility
Mass spectrometry services and infrastructure for LC-MS/MS analysis, proteomics, and metabolomics.
Our facility supports all research groups at the University of Groningen (UG) and the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) as well as external academic and commercial customers in their efforts to characterize or quantify molecules of chemical, biological, and pharmaceutical interest.

Our facility has drawn up standard protocols for proteomics analysis and offers scientific expertise in collaborative research aimed at developing new sample preparation methods, analytical techniques, and specific bioinformatics analysis approaches for proteomics and metabolomics analysis.

We support the full process of sample preparation, LC-MS analysis, and data analysis and provide expertise in experimental design, data processing and analysis, and multi-omics data integration.

The available equipment includes:
A wide range of mass spectrometers (MSs):

  • Orbitraps
  • QTOFs
  • Triple quadrupoles

Sample preparation and separation systems:

  • HPLC
  • UPLC
  • NanoLC

Freely available and commercial data processing tools:

  • MaxQuant
  • PEAKS
  • Proteome Discoverer
  • Spectronaut
  • Skyline
  • MSFragger
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Service requests

All MS instruments and associated equipment are operated, supported, and supervised by IMSC technicians.

In most cases samples are submitted to the IMSC for analysis including data analysis. The standard user fee for RUG and UMCG customers is standard fee is 40 euro per hour; or 80 euro per proteomics sample; per Jan 1st 2023.

  • Samples for MS analysis can be submitted by sending them to the IMSC facility in the ERIBA building (lab 3226.0650) or by sending an email to the IMSC email address.

    Please contact us before sending samples to discuss the desired sample preparation and analysis details.

  • Expert support
    All MS instruments and associated equipment are operated, supported and supervised by one or more IMSC technicians. The technicians all have broad MS experience and often have in-depth knowledge on specific subjects or methods. The general policy of the IMSC is to provide high-level service to every scientist and research group from the RuG and UMCG to the best of our abilities. Exploitation of the IMSC, notably repair and maintenance of MS equipment, and costs of MS-specific consumables is covered by user fees (standard fee is 40 euro per hour; or 80 euro per proteomics sample; per Jan 1st 2023). For external customers (non-RuG or UMCG) overhead and personnel costs are added and significantly higher user fee charged (details on request). This has proved to be a sustainable financial model for more than 15 years, and leaves room for small investments and instrument upgrades.

    Costs for internal and external customers
    For services provided by the IMSC, e.g. repair and maintenance of MS equipment and the use of MS-specific consumables, user fees will be charged. As from 1 January 2019, the standard fee is €35 per hour. External (non-UG or non-UMCG) customers will also be charged for overhead and personnel costs (details will be provided on request). For more than 15 years, this has proven to be a sustainable financial model that leaves room for small investments and instrument upgrades.

    Services
    The type of services, contribution, and research collaboration offered depends on the research project and the input from the research group:

    • Scientists who request occasional samples analyses, without the need for extensive method development, will usually collaborate directly with the IMSC technical staff and pay an hourly user fee for the analyses.
    • Scientists with research questions requiring extensive method development will first discuss the approach and workload with the head of the IMSC. Users will have to make at least a partial financial contribution to the method development and pay the regular hourly user fee for instrument usage. If long-term developments (≥ 3 months) are required with the ability to enhance the IMSC competencies, a fixed fee can be agreed upon that will be lower than costs based on the hourly user fee. It is strongly recommended that users with such requests discuss their projects with the IMSC before applying for funding and that they take the costs into account when planning their project budget.
    • Scientists with research questions requiring the use of cutting-edge MS and related techniques to measure biological and/or clinical samples on a structural basis (e.g. biomarker discovery projects, systems biology projects, specific bioinformatics development and analysis) will have a research collaboration with the IMSC. In general, this means that the IMSC is already involved when the grant application is being submitted and that the costs of the use of instrumentation, personnel, and consumables are included in the project budget. Applications for grants for such projects may also include dedicated instrumentation, which will be accommodated in the IMSC and made available to these users first.
    • Although scientists and commercial parties from outside the UG and the UMCG will be treated in the same way as internal academic users, the user fees will also be based on salary costs and instrument depreciation or on agreed-upon contract criteria as mentioned above.

High resolution MS

    • MS instrument: Orbitrap Velos Pro;
    • MS Manufacturer: Thermo;
    • MS Type: Linear trap-orbitrap;
    • Ionization source: ESI, nano-ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Shimadzu.
    • MS instrument: Maxis plus;
    • MS Manufacturer: Bruker;
    • MS Type: Quadrupole-time-of-flight;
    • Ionization source: ESI, nano-ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Waters.
    • MS instrument: TripleTOF 6600+;
    • MS Manufacturer: Sciex;
    • MS Type: Quadruple-time-of-flight;
    • Ionization source: ESI, nano-ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Sciex.
    • MS instrument: Orbitrap Exploris 480;
    • MS Manufacturer: Thermo;
    • MS Type: Quadruple-orbitrap;
    • Ionization source: ESI, nano-ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Thermo.
    • MS instrument: Orbitrap Exploris 480;
    • MS Manufacturer: Thermo;
    • MS Type: Quadrupole-orbitrap;
    • Ionization source: ESI, nano-ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Evosep.
    • MS instrument: Q Exactive Plus;
    • MS Manufacturer: Thermo;
    • MS Type: Quadruple-orbitrap;
    • Ionization source: ESI, nano-ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Thermo.
    • MS instrument: timsTOF SCP;
    • MS Manufacturer: Bruker;
    • MS Type: Quadrupole-orbitrap;
    • Ionization source: ESI, nano-ESI;
    • LC manufacturer Bruker.

Triple-quadrupole MS

    • MS instrument: TSQ Altis;
    • MS Manufacturer: Thermo;
    • MS Type: Triple quadrupole;
    • Ionization source: ESI, nano-ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Thermo.
    • MS instrument: TSQ Vantage;
    • MS Manufacturer: Thermo;
    • MS Type: Triple quadrupole;
    • Ionization source: ESI, nano-ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Thermo.
    • MS instrument: TSQ Quantum Ultra;
    • MS Manufacturer: Thermo;
    • MS Type: Triple quadrupole;
    • Ionization source: ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Shimadzu.
    • MS instrument: Xevo TQ-S;
    • MS Manufacturer: Waters;
    • MS Type: Triple quadrupole;
    • Ionization source: ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Waters.
    • MS instrument: API4000;
    • MS Manufacturer: Sciex;
    • MS Type: Triple quadrupole;
    • Ionization source: ESI;
    • LC manufacturer: Shimadzu.

Contact

University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)
European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA) - IMSC
PO Box 196, Internal Zip Code FA50
9700 AD Groningen
The Netherlands

Visiting address
University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)
European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA) - IMSC
Antonius Deusinglaan 1
9713 AV Groningen

location: building 3226