The challenges

During my earlier studies, I used 2D gels to profile proteins in animal eyes. These were very time consuming and labor intensive, but at the time they were the only choice. Additionally, it was not possible to run gels for certain tissue types—ocular fluid, for example—which limited the work we could perform. It wasn’t until some years later that people started to move from 2D gels to LC-MS, wherein I purchased both ion trap and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometers. Unfortunately, because I didn’t have time to learn the complexities of each of the systems, I struggled with learning both the hardware and software, which ended up putting my proteomics work on hold for a couple of years.

The solution

In the meantime, I spoke to colleagues at other universities and labs that use mass spectrometers, and many spoke highly of the local SCIEX team here in Hong Kong, which gave me confidence that the company doesn’t just supply systems, but also provides ongoing support. This was incredibly important to me given the negative previous experiences I’d had with the other mass spectrometers, and was ultimately the reason I chose SCIEX, investing in both a TripleTOF® 6600 LC-MS/MS System and QTRAP® 6500+ LC-MS/MS System.

The outcomes

• Our results are a lot more in-depth and revolutionary than other publications looking at proteomics and myopia, due to access to our own mass spectrometry equipment.
• With the support we receive from SCIEX—which is second to none—we really do get the best results out of the systems!
• Because of our expertise, we have developed many collaborations worldwide and are often sent different samples to test.
• My group and our various collaborators have really benefitted by being able to quickly analyze and share data via the OneOmics™ Project in SCIEX Cloud.