NWO LIFT grant to apply FELIX in Metabolomics Research

Mass spectrometry has developed into an indispensible tool in the biochemical sciences. The extreme sensitivity and high resolving power of modern MS instrumentation is the main driving force in the current “omics” revolution. Although MS determines the elemental composition of (bio)molecular compounds with great precesion, it often remains challenging to assign a definitive molecular structure to the species. The FELIX infrered free electron laser enables the recording of IR spectra of compounds that have been mass-selectively isolated in the mass spectrometer. These IR spectra form a fingerprint of the molecular structure enabling the identification of the compound. In this project, we aim to further develop these methods for analytical purposes and to specifically target the structural analysis of metabolic products of novel pharmaceuticals. The project will be carried out in a collaboration between researchers at the FELIX Laboratory of Radboud University and at Janssen Pharma in Beerse, Belgium.