Recipient organisationMicromass UK LTD (Waters Corporation)
Funding£261K
PeriodJan 2025 — Jan 2029
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
A mass spectrometer that can also measure how molecules tumble through a gas is being turned into a standardised tool for industry and regulation. The MobiliTraIN network will train 10 doctoral researchers to solve a practical problem: different labs, using different instruments, currently produce incompatible data from the same type of analysis. Without standard reference materials, common reporting formats, and agreed methods, the technique cannot be reliably used to check the safety of a biologic drug, identify an unknown pollutant in a river, or compare protein structures across studies. The network brings together universities, instrument makers, a regulator, and pharmaceutical companies from eight countries to write those standards and produce the reference compounds needed to calibrate machines. If successful, the work will make ion mobility mass spectrometry a routine quality-control tool for biotherapeutics, environmental monitoring, and food safety—areas where regulators currently lack consistent analytical benchmarks. The project is applied by design: it aims to remove a bottleneck that keeps a powerful analytical technique from leaving specialist laboratories and entering regulated workflows.
View original technical description
Ion mobility-high resolution mass spectrometry (IM-HRMS) is the next-generation analytical platform in research and industry. Unlocking its full potential across applications as varied as biotherapeutics, environment and food safety requires not only pushing back the frontiers of instrumentation, fundamental understanding and applications - but harmonisation is essential. To achieve this, current shortcomings in data collection, analysis and reporting across instrument types, laboratories and research areas need to be scrutinised and overcome. The MobiliTraIN Doctoral Network will form 10 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) who will bring a new fundamental understanding of IM- HRMS, provide reference materials and guidelines for standardisation, develop state-of-the-art methods for the application of IM- HRMS in biopharmaceutical development, biological 'omics studies, and nontarget screening of contaminants, and lay the foundations for IM-HRMS adoption in industry. Through an interdisciplinary research programme, including an open science approach and training in technical, business and transferable skills, the MobiliTraIN DCs will become leading experts in ion mobility with a unique skill set to successfully advance their careers while supporting Europe's innovation capacity. Building on existing collaborations and research excellence covering the entire innovation chain of IM-HRMS development and application, MobiliTraIN unites 8 academic institutions, 3 leading instrumentation companies, 1 regulatory agency, 1 pharma industry leader and 5 SMEs from 8 countries. With complementary expertise, know-how and mentoring experience, our consortium is ideally suited to unveil the potential of IM-HRMS as a key technology for safer therapeutics, better understanding of complex disease progression and improved monitoring of food, water and public health safety.
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