The installation of next-generation proteomics and multi-omics technology at the Baker Institute this month will provide unprecedented insights into cardiovascular biology, cell signalling and human health, allowing us to accelerate our understanding of human cardiovascular health and disease.
The application of the Thermo Scientific™ Orbitrap™ Astral™ Mass Spectrometer — which is unique in the cardiovascular health and disease space — will allow us to advance our knowledge of the complex biological systems of the heart and blood vessels, heart composition and function, cardiac and metabolic signalling, inflammation and the design of targeted therapeutics.
This technology combination, in partnership with international teams from Thermo Fisher Scientific and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, will provide a high-throughput approach in translational research for advancing human medical research and therapeutic innovations.
This advanced mass spectrometry based technology is an exciting addition to the Institute's expanding research profile in proteomics, developed over the past several years by Professor David Greening.
Amelia Hains Fellow and Head of Molecular Proteomics at the Baker Institute and Director of the Proteomics and Metabolomics Platform at La Trobe University, Professor Greening, is recognised as a leader in proteomics and cell signalling (primarily extracellular vesicles).
Professor Greening said that "mass spectrometry-based omics technology has been a gamechanger for systems biology, in terms of how we integrate and understand complex human biology and dynamic changes in health and disease".
"Continuing our strong track record of impact innovation, this remarkable advancement will enable our teams and networks to decipher this complexity at scale, to resolve and accelerate the discovery of proteins, their variants and advance precision medicine," he said.
"This technology will also further advance our understanding of the mechanisms of ageing, organ circuitry, and cell and organ signalling.
"Importantly, the Thermo Scientific™ Orbitrap™ Astral™ Mass Spectrometer, in combination with advances in ionisation and quantitative resolution, and enhanced analysis throughput, overcomes key challenges in proteomics to enable the analysis of large cohorts, powering the study of proteomics at a scale previously only obtainable by genomics."
This means that the technology can be harnessed to address large-scale studies addressing critical areas of need such as early detection and diagnostic profiling in heart health and development and refined cardiac disease remodelling. It also provides a roadmap for developing improved risk stratification and novel and specific therapies to prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease, diabetes and related diseases.
Thermo Fisher Scientific's Vice President and General Manager, Australia and New Zealand, Mr Domenic Stranieri, said that the collaboration with the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute will help bridge the gap to a future less burderned by the affliction of heart disease and related conditions.
"We very much value the relationship we have with the Baker Institute and the pivotal role they play in the global search for novel and personalised methods to diagnose, treat, predict, and ultimately, prevent some of the greatest health challenges of current and past generations: cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other related degenerative conditions,"
Mr Stranieri said. "By bringing together the Baker Institute's almost 100 years of experience and knowledge, with the very latest innovation in mass spectrometry, we're accelerating science and paving the way for the next wave of game changing breakthroughs."
This technology will interface the partnership between the Baker Institute and Thermo Fisher Scientific and excitingly, form the basis of future technologies and their applications in research and development.
