Abstract: Disclosed are methods for assessing the presence or absence of a therapeutic concentration of a deuterated docosahexaenoic acid during treatment of a patient with a retinal or neuronal oxidative disease.

Abstract: This disclosure comprises devices and methods for determining the identity of individual protein molecules in a complex mixture.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of forming an ion of formula (I) comprising the steps of: (i) reacting a compound of the formula (IIa); with a biopolymer, BP, having at least one group capable of reacting with M to form a covalent linkage, to provide a biopolymer derivative of the formula (IIIa); and (ii) cleaving the C—X bond between X and the ?-carbon atom of the derivative of formula (IIIa) to form the ion of formula (I); where: (IV) is a carbon atom bearing a single positive charge or a single negative charge; and X is a group comprising a thioether sulphur atom bound directly to the ?-carbon which is capable of being cleaved from the ?-carbon atom to form an ion of formula (I). The biopolymer derivatives of the invention have enhanced ionisability with respect to free biopolymer (BP) enabling improved analysis of the biopolymer using mass spectrometry.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of sequencing a target polynucleotide by enzymatic and/or chemical means. The sequencing method includes a method for characterizing multiple alleles in a sample, a method of calculating confidence levels in ascertained sequences, a method for comparing polynucleotide sequences, and a method of resolving ambiguities in a polynucleotide sequence. It also provides methods for appropriately preparing samples, for immobilizing template molecules, for organizing the template molecules, and to conduct the sequencing of many molecules in parallel. The method involves analyzing molecules as members of an array. Many target polynucleotides or many segments of a single target polynucleotide can be sequenced simultaneously. In a preferred embodiment, the method involves analyzing individual molecules within an array and base calls are based on the signals from two or more molecules. A method to prevent non-specific signal in sequencing is also provided.

Abstract: Methods of analysing peptides by mass spectrometry are disclosed. In particular, methods of analysing peptides by fragmentation mass spectrometry (MSn, where n is at least 2) are disclosed. The methods involve derivatisation of a peptide at its N-terminus such that peaks corresponding to both a and b (and y) daughter ions are identifiable in fragmentation mass spectra of the derivatised peptide. The fragmentation mass spectra of the derivatised peptide contain additional information (relative to the fragmentation mass spectra of the underivatised peptide) useful for determination of the amino acid sequence of the peptide.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to trityl-type compounds comprising, bonded to the same atom, three aryl groups, of which at least one is a fluorophore and at least one has a substituent including a functional group, and wherein the compound can exist in a non-ionised state or in an ionised state conjugated with the aryl groups.

Abstract: A method of making a set of labelled compounds by the use of a preferably particulate support, comprises dividing the support into lots, performing a different chemical reaction on each lot of the support, e.g. to couple a chemical moiety to that lot of the support, tagging a fraction of each lot of the support with a different label, and combining the said lots of the support. The steps are repeated several times, preferably to build up oligomer molecules carrying labels which identify the nature and position of a monomer unit of the oligomer, and which are releasable from the support. Preferred labels, which are releasable from the compounds by cleavage to provide charged groups for analysis by mass spectrometry, are groups of the trityl (trimethylphenyl) family. Also claimed are libraries of these labels is and their use in assays and nucleic acid analysis methods.