Deeper proteome coverage and faster throughput for low input samples on the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer

In recent years there has been a shift to analyzing smaller sample quantities, driven by the interest in profiling the proteome of individual cells. This increased focus on LC-MS analysis of limited sample amounts (e.g., single-cells) requires the highest possible sensitivity. At the same time, throughput and chromatographic performance must be preserved to generate sufficiently high-quality data from large data sets to draw meaningful conclusions. Traditional proteomics approaches read out the average of a sample, while single-cell proteomics provides insights into the exact nature of each of the components in such samples. The Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer delivers a new standard for low-input samples with both deeper proteome coverage and faster throughput due to its high sensitivity. In this application note, Thermo Fisher Scientific presents a low-input proteomics sample workflow using the Thermo Scientific™ Pierce™ HeLa protein digest standard in nanogram and picogram loads on the Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer to demonstrate new standards in sensitivity and depth of proteome coverage using a library-free and library-based DIA approach.