Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of ions. It helps identify and quantify molecules in complex mixtures, making it a powerful tool in chemistry, biology, and material sciences.

Applications of Mass Spectrometry

1. Proteomics: Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, including their structures, functions, and interactions. 

2. Metabolomics: Metabolomics studies small biomolecules (metabolites) involved in several processes. 

3. Elemental Analysis (Elemental and Isotopic MS): To detecting and quantifying elements and isotopes. 

NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) is a versatile technique to determine molecular structure of molecules.  Molecules that compose of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen or other heteroatoms are suitable for NMR measurement.

NMR instruments use super-conducting-magnet (SCM) sitting in liquid helium and liquid nitrogen bath. The SCMs produce high magnetic field and thus have high resolution power of NMR signals. Typically, 400-1000 MHz NMR with SCM are commercially available. At OIST, we have NMR instruments (400 MHz and 600 MHz). Both solution and solid state (Magic Angle Spinning) NMR probes are available.

Flow Cytometry is a technique for analyzing cells or particles in suspension, looking at the expression of cell surface and/or intracellular biomarkers at a single cell level. This helps to characterize and quantify different cell types in a heterogeneous cell population, assessing the purity of isolated subpopulations with cell size and fluorescent label information.

All cells can be identified by parameters such as forward-scattered light (FSC), side-scattered light (SSC) or with the help of specific fluorescent emissions from antibodies, tags, and probes.

Instrumental analysis section also host following analytical instruments for all researcher in OIST. 

• Surface Plasmon Resonance
• Microcalorimeter
• Elemental Analyzer
• UV-Vis spectrophotometer
• Fluorescence Spectrophotometer
• Circular Dichroism spectrometer
• Ion Chromatography
• Microscale Thermophoresis System
• Multimode Microplate Reader