Multiomics Mass Spectrometry Core

The potential threat of unknown or unexpected chemical or biological agents, whether weaponized or naturally occurring, is one of the most concerning defense problems the U.S. faces. Even known agents can present an immense threat to the safety and security of the Nation and its warfighters.

To understand how to potentially prevent these agents from causing harm, it is essential to understand exactly how various chemical and biological agents can affect the human body at the subcellular level, including changes in proteins and metabolites.

The Multiomics Mass Spectrometry Core facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is uniquely equipped to advance this understanding. It is home to over $10M in state-of-the-art robotics equipment and mass spectrometry instrumentation that are used by some of the most talented researchers in the field who execute highly optimized and automated processes to obtain fast, accurate answers.

"Leveraging omics is a key part to any new drug development project for the Department of Defense (DOD)," said Dr. Terry Thiem, director for medical countermeasures at the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska. "The information proteomics provides helps uncover post-translational modifications to proteins, which is key to deciphering disease mechanisms and mechanisms of action for drug development. Metabolomics is equally valuable to drug development when assessing drug metabolism and toxicity as well as identifying biomarkers associated with diseases."

About the Multiomics Mass Spectrometry Core

Established in 2007, the facility provides sample preparation equipment, mass spectrometry instrumentation, bioinformatics tools and expertise to support projects for both UNMC researchers and outside clients. The lab’s proven workflows and technology uncover perturbations in biological processes, which allows researchers to define and understand the effects of harmful agents, pointing the researchers in the right direction to develop drugs and treatments to mitigate the damage that might be caused when such agents are encountered across the world.

"What we do is applicable to any biological question or disease," said Dr. Rebekah Gundry, the facility’s scientific director and an internationally recognized expert in mass spectrometry. "Cancer, heart disease, biological warfare, chemical warfare — all those areas of research can benefit from understanding what’s happening at the molecular level."

Unlike other technologies that focus on selected analytes, mass spectrometry does not require prior knowledge of exactly what to look for. Mass spectrometry uses inherent information about a molecule to identify and characterize it, which makes it a perfect technology for understanding new biological agents, among other applications.

Already an asset to UNMC researchers for these strengths, the facility underwent a major overhaul in 2024 to bring it in line with cutting-edge developments in the field. In the past year, the facility has continually streamlined its processes to provide the most efficient and accurate readings possible, making it a first-choice facility for many in biomedical research. The core now features highly streamlined and robotic-driven sample preparation processes that allow the lab to process hundreds or even thousands of samples in a day. Dr. Gundry said the robotics equipment for sample preparation is one of the more unique things about the facility.

"By automating the sample preparation process, we no longer rely on investigators to prepare their own samples, which historically has led to a high failure rate unless the person preparing them is an expert in mass spectrometry," she said.

Automation makes it easier for the core lab to prepare high throughput sample numbers with limited staff and offers the advantage of a more controlled, more reproducible process.

Dr. Gundry explained: “We need less starting material than we would if we did all the preparation manually. Our sample quantities needed are also lower due to the enhanced sensitivity of our state-of-the-art mass spectrometry instrumentation. This increased sensitivity means the data quality is better, and we can analyze more rare cell populations or samples with more limited availability. Also, by freeing up staff time for other tasks and ensuring high success rates, this also leads to cost savings that we can pass along to our users."

The Multiomics Mass Spectrometry Core also installed new state-of-the-art mass spectrometry instrumentation and bioinformatic tools in 2024.

Key to the UNMC facility's success, the top-of-the-line instrumentation at UNMC’s facility allows for more detail than has been achievable in the past.

"Our new instrument offers unprecedented sensitivity and capabilities for a wide variety of molecule types such as proteins, glycans and lipids," Dr. Gundry said. "And our personnel have the experience to make that work — we boast an expertise in a wide range of molecule types — both common and uncommon."