The Biomedical Mass Spectrometry and Systems Biology research section is a strong collaboration established in 2019 between four research groups: The Protein Research Group , The Center for Experimental Bioinformatics (CEBI), Molecular Metabolism and Metabolomics (M3) and Functional Lipidomic group - in total 14 principal investigators with staff and students.
We have a common interest within Mass Spectrometry, Omics Technologies and Computational Bioscience. The span of our research-projects is immensely wide. Some of our scientists use the mass spectrometer as a magnifying glass and study the structural dynamics of single proteins as well as entire protein complexes and delineate how small changes can alter this entirely. These changes can be a variety of modifications on the proteins themselves. With techniques developed and refined by us, we can determine the type and whereabouts of thousands and thousands of these modifications.
We have many exciting student projects and our approach to research means that our graduates end up in a wide range of jobs, whether in the academic world or in the thriving biotech industry.
Our research and technological platform
In our section we study a variety of biomolecules - the building blocks of life . We use a special technique called mass spectrometry to ionize, quantify and measure the mass and charge of the biomolecules and thereby reveal their hidden secrets
Our new laboratory facilities are filled with advanced instruments as well as highly competent staff operating the instruments 24-7. We use the mass spectrometry data to e.g. understand how brain cells work and what goes awry with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, grasp why cells break out of their community and turn cancerous, uncover the mechanisms that guide the development of a stem cell towards more specialized cells such as muscle cells, comprehend how a specific structure called the centrosome, which is indispensable to cells functions, investigate fats and other metabolites to understand how they regulate the homeostasis of the body, investigate DNA / RNA to learn about the modifications that can change the function of either completely.
The development of biotechnological methods for mass spectrometry-based analysis has always been of special interest to us.
Methods established by us are routinely employed all over the world today. And not just for basic research. For example, researchers are currently developing novel techniques for doping control, making it easier to track the levels of EPO in the blood of athletes.
To understand these often gigantic data sets, we scrutinize them using computational bioscience. These bioinformatic analyzes give us both a broader and a much deeper understanding than possible with ordinary data processing. And we do aim for epiphanies, in part by also working with experts in areas other than our own. Interdisciplinary collaborations are essential for us to paint complete pictures of the many different biological scenarios we work with.
We want to push the boundaries
At our section, it is only the imagination that sets the boundaries on research projects initiated. No ideas are too big to pursue. If politics is ‘the art of possible’, research at our section is ‘the art of the impossible’. It is often when you try to do what others said cannot be done that you make the greatest discoveries.
Mass spectrometry has for many years stood as a beacon for research at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at SDU, and we are working hard to ensure that it also will in the years to come. With access to the very latest instruments, collaboration with market-leading companies and solid financial support from large foundations, the future looks bright and exciting for Biomedical Mass Spectrometry and Systems Biology.