An Introduction to Mass Spectrometry and its Applications within Drug Discovery

January 25-29, 2025

San Diego Convention Center

San Diego, CA, USA

An Introduction to Mass Spectrometry and its Applications within Drug Discovery

This short course will introduce mass spectrometry and the range of potential applications within drug discovery. Basic principles of mass spectrometry, including the differences between the array of ionization modalities and detectors available today, will be covered. While mass spectrometry has contributed significantly to drug discovery, recent advances are enabling high throughput screening applications.

Who Should Attend?

Lab scientists with an interest in understanding the fundamentals of mass spectrometry
Lab managers interested in understanding how mass spectrometry can impact drug discovery
Budget holders who are considering investing in mass spectrometry technology
Early-stage career scientists who want to understand how mass spectrometry can be applied in their research

Course Benefits

Gain a better understanding of the principles of mass spectrometry and the diversity of instruments and ionization techniques
Understand where mass spectrometry can be applied with impact in drug discovery
Learn about recent developments in mass spectrometry and its applications.

Course Topics

Basic principles of mass spectrometry
Ionization modalities, mass analyzers and general MS hardware
Introduction to separation techniques (Liquid Chromatography, Gas Chromatography, SFC)
High throughput MS platforms for HTS applications (RF-MS, MALDI, AMI-MS, Echo-MS, IR-MALDESI)
MALDI applications in drug discovery
Overview of recent advances in MS technology and impact in drug discovery (chemistry, DMPK, MS imaging, Affinity MS, small molecule biomarker, metabolomics, proteomics, covalent drug discovery)

Instructors

Vasudev Kantae, Ph.D.
AstraZeneca, Discovery Sciences

Vasudev Kantae has more than 12 years experience in the field of bioanalysis employing mass spectrometry. In 2019, he joined AstraZeneca-UK to lead the mass spectrometry strategy implementing the quantitative (bio)analysis thrust, which has enabled the development of novel cellular and biochemical workflows to support SAR profiling and bespoke mechanism of action (MoA) studies for drug discovery programs. He is currently optimizing high-throughput mass spectrometry based targeted proteomic workflows to accelerate the characterization of covalent molecules from hit generation to lead optimization.

Kantae obtained his Ph.D. at Leiden University (Netherlands) with a focus on applying systems pharmacology in synergy with metabolomics, proteomics and pharmacology (PK-PD) concepts to study the endocannabinoid lipid signalling system. Subsequently, during his postdoctoral training in collaboration with Roche Pharmaceuticals, he applied chemical proteomic strategies to study the on-target and off-target effects of drug molecules. He has published 17 manuscripts in international peer reviewed journals and is a strong advocate of adapting label-free methods in early drug discovery to accelerate and inform various projects.

Sharon Tentarelli
AstraZeneca, Oncology R&D, Chemistry

Sharon Tentarelli has 30 years’ experience working in analytical chemistry. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology her undergraduate research focused on polymer synthesis and characterization and after receiving her B.S. degree in 1993, she began her career at Polaroid in an analytical department that supported both R&D process development and manufacturing production. Her work included converting legacy methodology to newer chromatographic and mass spectrometry based techniques.

In 2001, she began working at AstraZeneca in early-stage drug discovery, supporting both Oncology and Infection therapy areas. Over the years her mass spectrometry work has ranged from routine analyses around purity confirmation and structural elucidation, to customization and repair of open-access LC-MS instrumentation, to development of more bespoke assays. She has established biomarker analyses supporting pre-clinical efficacy and safety studies, hydrolytic screening cascades supporting formulation, and intracellular drug concentration studies addressing compound uptake in biological assays. She has also written script-based automation to streamline routine analytical workflows. She has co-authored 16 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals including Nature Communications and SLAS Technology.