INTEGRA is based on modern mass spectrometry technology
INTEGRA is based on modern mass spectrometry technology that can characterize and quantify all classes of biomolecules, including metabolites, lipids, nucleic acids, glycans and proteins. Mass spectrometry therefore complements advanced next-generation nucleic acid sequencing technologies in the current “omics era” of biology, life science and personalized medicine.
The healthy or diseased phenotype of an organisms is defined by its genome and by its interactions with the environment. At the cellular level, the phenotype is defined by the abundances, interactions and activities of nucleic acids, lipids, carbohydrates, metabolites and proteins that are present at any given time. Biological understanding, computational modeling and visualization of dynamic cellular processes and molecular networks in health and disease rely on precise measurements of these biomolecues.
The ambitious goal of the INTEGRA research infrastructure is to provide new systems biology strategies for high-sensitivity protein, lipid and metabolite characterization in cells and tissues. INTEGRA is based on three different and complementary bioanalytical approaches:
- Metabolite and lipid profiling and identification by liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (metabolomics)
- Peptide and protein profiling and identification by liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (proteomics)
- Histo-molecular profiling of tissue sections by mass spectrometry imaging