# Acquisition of Orbitrap mass spectrometer

> **NIH NIH S10** · HOWARD UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $869,134

## Abstract

The project “Acquisition of Orbitrap mass spectrometer” is an application for an instrumental
grant aiming to to acquire a new top-level Mass Spectroscopy instrument Q ExactiveTM HF-X
Hybrid Quadrupole-OrbitrapTM Mass Spectrometer for Howard University RCMI Proteomics
Core Facility. Proteomics is a relatively new discipline of molecular biology that studies the
identity, function, and interactions of the thousands of proteins produced by the processes of
DNA transcription and mRNA translation. An important contemporary translational research
frontier is to identify the proteins that exist and interact at the cellular and circulatory levels, to
understand how these proteins and interactions are affected by diseases and drugs, and to
develop diagnostic and therapeutic modalities based on these new understandings.
Specifically, proteomics will allow identification of specific proteins and protein networks that
underlie particular human genetic and infectious disorders. We have a productive, well-
functioning Proteomics Core facility which has been in operation since 2010. Our existing
LTQ-Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer is obsolete and no longer provides the sensitivity and
quality needed to conduct cutting-edge proteomics research. The main goal of our program is to
provide support for NIH-funded research at Howard University and among DC Center for AIDS
Research, which I co-Direct. Our users are funded by RO1, R21, SC-1 and P50 grants. These
projects investigate the diseases that disproportionately affect minority populations including
viral infections, sickle cell disease research, neuronal studies and cancer research. Another
important aim of a project is to add an advanced mass spectrometer to the existing Proteomic
Core Facility. This will increase the quality of biomedical research at Howard University and DC
area leading to overall excellence of biomedical education at Howard University.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9940364
- **Project number:** 1S10OD028681-01
- **Recipient organization:** HOWARD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** SERGEI NEKHAI
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $869,134
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-10 → 2021-09-09

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9940364

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9940364, Acquisition of Orbitrap mass spectrometer (1S10OD028681-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9940364. Licensed CC0.

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