Application of mass spectrometry to molecular diagnostics of viral infections

Abstract

Mass spectrometry (MS) has found numerous applications in life sciences. It has high accuracy, sensitivity and wide dynamic range in addition to medium-to high-throughput capabilities. These features make MS a superior platform for analysis of various biomolecules including proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and carbohydrates. Until recently, MS was applied for protein detection and characterization. During the last decade, however, MS has successfully been used for molecular diagnostics of microbial and viral infections with the most notable applications being identification of pathogens, genomic sequencing, mutation detection, DNA methylation analysis, tracking of transmissions, and characterization of genetic heterogeneity. These new developments vastly expand the MS application from experimental research to public health and clinical fields. Matching of molecular techniques with specific requirements of the major MS platforms has produced powerful technologies for molecular diagnostics, which will further benefit from coupling with computational tools for extracting clinical information from MS-derived data.

Laser-assisted rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry (LA-REIMS) as a metabolomics platform in cervical cancer screening

“…Application of mass spectrometry has been successful in molecular diagnostics of microbial and viral infections [56] , [57] , [58] as well as metabolic disorders, such as Type 2 diabetes 30 . Using a REIMS platform, previous studies have detected clinically important bacteria and fungi.…”

Quantitative Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Autoantibodies as a Paradigm Shift in Autoimmune Serology

“…A greater understanding of the secreted antibody repertoire in vaccine response (28) and infectious diseases both in the host and in the pathogenic entity (29) are some of the extended applications of this technology to other areas of medical science. Already, MS technology has become integrated into the diagnostic world to provide a multi-dimensional understanding of pathogens as they evolve from within the host (30), providing a plethora of useful information to clinicians and scientists. In addition, analysis of other bodily fluids, such as saliva and feces, compared to the serum proteome, may offer unique insights into the compartmentalization and microbiome that contributes to antibody repertoire and disease pathogenesis (31).…”

Mass spectrometry analytical responses to the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus in review

“…Mass spectrometry has long been used for the study and analysis of viruses [ [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] ], though recent advances in instrumentation have offered improvements in sensitivity, resolution and mass accuracy, as well as the ability to analyse whole viruses and their interactions. Some 200 publications describing the application of mass spectrometry, in some form, to characterise the coronavirus [ 11 ] have appeared in the literature since the outbreak of the pandemic and this review attempts to organise and review the approaches against conventional methods.…”