This June, Dr Dijana Matak Vinkovic, who is a Senior Technical Officer in our mass spectrometry facility, represented our department at the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) conference in San Diego; which is one of the most influential global meetings in the field.

Arriving ahead of the main programme, she attended industry sessions hosted by Waters and Thermo Fisher, whose kit we use in our laboratories, featuring talks from company scientists and leading researchers. “A notable presentation for the Waters company was given by Professor Joseph Loo, the current president of ASMS. Professor Loo compared four Waters instruments and gave an overview of possible applications for each of them. At these mini conferences I reconnected with colleagues such as Dr Nikki Atwal from the Waters company,” she said.
 

Dijana with Dr Nikki Atwal, EMEA Market Development Director at Water Corporation at the Marriott Marquis hotel.

“Dinner on Saturday night was especially pleasant, as  I spent it in the company of an old friend, American professor Brandon Ruotolo, with whom I shared an office for four years in Cambridge during our postdoctoral positions in the group of Professor Dame Carol Robinson. I have a warm and lasting friendship with Brandon and his wife Maggie, who was also a postdoctoral fellow in the same group, a friendship that has withstood the passage of time and the separation of continents.” 
 

Dijana with Brandon Ruotolo, Professor of Mass Spectrometry in Ann Arbor, Michigan, US at the San Diego Convention Centre.

“The conference days began early, with 7 a.m. technical presentations which was no problem for me because I was waking at 5 a.m. due to jet lag.” This was followed by packed schedules of parallel sessions, posters, and plenaries. The section on the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) was notable. Among other things, the prediction of spectra from protein sequences was discussed, as well as the prediction of retention times, which is a greater challenge.”

“The poster sessions were a real highlight. Speaking one to one with researchers gives you insights you don’t get from formal talks.”

 

“Evenings were filled with networking events at the Marriott Marquis, where instrument companies showcased new technologies. In my view the most notable new instrument is Bruker's "timsOmni", which is designed for modern bottom-up proteomics, glycoproteomics, PTM analysis and structural identification of small molecules. The price of the instrument is in the range of around £1.5M.”
The week concluded with a memorable gala dinner aboard the historic USS Midway, where she was delighted to meet ASMS President Prof Joseph Loo.
 

Professor Joseph Loo and Dijana on the “Midway” warship from WWII.

“ASMS is intense but incredibly energising. I came back full of ideas and hope to attend again,” she concludes.