High performance MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for proteomics

Theoretical techniques for optimizing the resolving power of TOF MS systems are presented, particularly for applications employing MALDI. These techniques are employed to design both a linear and a reflecting analyzer. Preliminary results on the performance of these instruments on proteins and peptides are presented, and compared with the theoretical predictions. Discrepancies between theory and experiment are analyzed, and further improvements are proposed.