Waters ASMS Users Meeting 2026
Start your journey to ASMS 2026
Together we can help accelerate the benefits of pioneering science.
Join us in San Diego in the heart of the action, where science and technology meet. Connect with leading voices from the MS community as they share cutting-edge research and explore how innovation is accelerating the impact of pioneering science.
We’re putting the finishing touches on the agenda so be on the lookout for updates in the coming weeks.
This event is free to attend, and all lunch and refreshments will be provided, including a drinks reception at the end.
Confirmed Speakers
- Prof. Konstantinos Thalassinos (Professor of Mass Spectrometry, University College London)
- Prof. Joseph A. Loo (Professor of Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA))
- Lingjun Li Ph.D. (Professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin)
- Prof. Sujan Fernando (Analytical Laboratory Director / Research Professor, Clarkson University)
- Mike Morris (Scientific Fellow, Waters Corporation)
- Iulia Macavei, PhD (Scientist in Proteomics Research, Evosep)
- Matthew Daly (Senior Applications Scientist, Waters Corporation)
- Andrew Leightner (Senior Principal Market Development Manager, Pharmaceuticals and Biopharmaceuticals, Waters Corporation)
- Dr. Robert Plumb (Scientific Advisor, Waters Corporation)
- Courtney Walton (Sr. MS Applications Chemist, Waters Corporation)
- Angela M. Zivkovic, PhD (Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis)
- Kristine Parson, PhD (Senior Scientist, Analytical Development, Fujifilm Diosynth)
Agenda
May 30, 2026
11:30 AM-12:30 PM Registration and Lunch
12:30 PM-12:40 PM Welcome and Opening Remarks
12:40 PM-1:00 PM Techology Showcase
- Be the first to see our latest innovations.
1:00 PM-1:30 PM Beyond AlphaFold: Measuring What AI Cannot Predict
- Prof. Konstantinos Thalassinos (Professor of Mass Spectrometry , University College London)
Structural biology is undergoing a profound transformation. While artificial intelligence can now predict static protein structures with remarkable accuracy, understanding how proteins misfold, aggregate, and cause disease requires direct experimental access to dynamic conformational landscapes. Cyclic ion mobility mass spectrometry (cIMS) is redefining what is possible in this space, enabling the resolution of structural ensembles rather than single averaged states.
Advances in cyclic ion mobility instrumentation and methodology, including multi-pass separations, conformational 'slicing' experiments, and integration with top-down fragmentation, have dramatically increased conformational resolution. These developments now allow transient intermediates, low-abundance states, and early oligomeric species to be isolated and structurally interrogated with unprecedented precision. In doing so, cIMS is shifting mass spectrometry from a technique that measures mass and stoichiometry to one that directly maps protein energy landscapes.
When applied to protein misfolding diseases such as α₁-antitrypsin deficiency, cyclic ion mobility has revealed previously unseen intermediates that initiate pathological aggregation. Strikingly, independent NMR, cryo-EM, and genomic analyses in patient tissue corroborate these conformations, demonstrating that structures resolved in the gas phase correspond to biologically relevant states upon which evolutionary selection acts in vivo.
Cyclic ion mobility is no longer simply an incremental advance in separation science, it is emerging as a central platform for structural and molecular biology. By enabling us to visualise proteins in motion, resolve misfolding at its origin, and connect gas-phase measurements to human disease, cIMS is redefining the role of mass spectrometry in the life sciences.
1:30 PM-2:00 PM Up-Down, Back-and-Forth…Where is Top-Down and Native Mass Spectrometry Going?
- Prof. Joseph A. Loo (Professor of Biochemistry , University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Ion fragmentation is the hallmark of mass spectrometry-based structure elucidation. Mass accuracy is a defining performance capability for molecular identification. Their combination is essential for effective proteoform identification in today’s top-down proteomics workflow.
Waters offers MS platforms that provide high mass accuracy and resolving power with their Multi-Reflecting Time-of-Flight (MRT) mass spectrometers, e.g., SELECT SERIES MRT and Xevo MRT.
Examples will be shown that demonstrate the utility of ultra-high mass accuracy to define product ion identification. For native MS, improvements in sensitivity for measurement of protein complexes can be enhanced using sub-100 nm diameter ESI emitters.
2:00 PM-2:15 PM Refreshments
2:15 PM-2:45 PM Advancing Spatial Omics with Multimodal Mass Spectrometry Imaging to Reveal Molecular Heterogeneity in Health and Disease
- Prof. Lingjun Li, PhD (Professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin)
u-DESI-MSI platform for high-spatial-resolution single-cell imaging. Through the combination of a stable and extraordinarily low solvent flow rate, optimized geometrical settings, and fine-tuned nebulization gas pressure, an unprecedented spatial resolution was achieved for molecular mapping of single cells, revealing distinct spatial distribution patterns of lipids in subcellular regions within individual cells. Tissue Expansion Mass Spectrometry Imaging
Lingjun Li's research group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has developed a Tissue Expansion method compatible with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Mass spectrometry Imaging (TEMI). This method allows for the high-throughput in situ mapping of biomolecules, reaching single-cell spatial resolution without sacrificing voxel throughput. TEMI enables the profiling of hundreds of biomolecules, including lipids, metabolites, peptides, and N-glycans, across various mammalian tissues. This advancement is crucial for both basic and medical research, as it broadens the application of mass spectrometry imaging to more biologists, allowing them to investigate molecular detail down to the single-cell level. The technique is accessible and can be used by anyone with a commercial mass spectrometer, making it a powerful tool for biomedical research
2:45 PM-3:15 PM Evaluating the Impact of PFAS on the Great Lakes
- Prof. Sujan Fernando (Analytical Laboratory Director / Research Professor
Clarkson University)
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of synthetic chemicals that have been manufactured and released into the environment for over 50 years. Due to their unique physical and chemical properties, PFAS are highly persistent (and toxic) and have been detected in aquatic and terrestrial organisms, as well as in human populations worldwide.
The Center for Air and Aquatic Resources Engineering and Science (CAARES) at Clarkson University has been monitoring PFAS concentrations in top predator fish from the Great Lakes for the past two decades as part of the US EPAs Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program (GLFMSP). This presentation focuses on samples collected during 2023–2024 and analyzed using a modified EPA method 1633. These recent data will be compared with historical measurements to evaluate temporal trends and assess the current status of PFAS contamination in the Great Lakes.
3:15 PM-3:45 PM Advances in Biological and Diagnostic Mass Spectrometry: Evolution, Impact, and Future Directions
- Mike Morris (Scientific Fellow, Waters Corporation)
Biological and diagnostic mass spectrometry has undergone a remarkable evolution over the last few decades - transitioning from a specialist analytical technique to a central pillar of modern life science and clinical research. This presentation will explore key technological and methodological advances that have expanded the depth, speed, and confidence of molecular measurements across proteomics, metabolomics, biotherapeutic characterization, and clinical diagnostics.
Emphasis will be placed on how improvements in instrument performance and data quality have translated into real‑world impact, more reliable biomarker discovery, and increasingly actionable diagnostic information.
3:45 PM-4:00 PM Wrap-Up & Transition to Breakouts
4:00 PM-5:00 PM BREAKOUT 1: Characterization, Quantification, and Visualization - Advancing DMPK Insights with Waters
Part 1. Introduction & Advances in Waters DMPK solutions
- Neil Walsh, Waters Corporation
Part 2. From Variability to Reliability: Next Generation MS & Microflow LC-MS/MS for improved Uptime & Sensitivity in High Throughput BioAnalysis
- Courtney Walton, Waters Corporation
Part 3. AI-Driven Metabolite ID: PROTACs metabolism characterization and visualization
- Andrew Leightner (Senior Principal Market Development Manager, Pharmaceuticals and Biopharmaceuticals, Waters Corporation)
Part 4. Mapping the Alzheimer's Landscape: Exposomic and Lipidomics for deeper Understanding of Disease
- Dr. Robert Plumb, Scientific Advisor, Waters Corporation
4:00 PM-5:00 PM BREAKOUT 2: Quan/Qual for Biomarkers & Omics
Part 1 .From discovery to application: a fully automated and high‑throughput workflow for large‑scale targeted plasma proteomics
- Iulia Macavei, Scientist in Proteomics Research, Evosep
Translating large‑scale discovery proteomics into applied research requires highly standardized workflows. Targeted MRM assays offer the precision and specificity needed for translational studies, but their success depends on reliable sample preparation and consistent chromatography, especially for neat plasma, where sample variability can undermine quantification. To support this transition toward next-generation LC-MS proteomics, we developed a standardized and automated sample preparation platform, utilizing miniaturized, cost-efficient, and fit-for-purpose kits integrating Evotip‑based peptide clean-up with the Evosep Eno.
Part 2. Comprehensive multi-OMICS approach using a Multi-Reflecting Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer
- Matt Daly, Senior Applications Scientist, Waters Corporation
Neurological conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are complex psychiatric conditions with diverse clinical features and limited understanding of their underlying biology.
Using a multi-OMIC approach comprised of lipidomics and proteomics, highlights the utilization of a stepped quadrupole data independent (DIA) approach for optimal characterization and quantification. This strategy allows for distinct disease associated alterations to be observed in circulating glycopeptides across the clinical cohorts.
4:00 PM-5:00 PM BREAKOUT 3: Breakthrough Biologics
Part 1. Seeing lipoproteins clearly (CDMS) and the CIU advantage in biotherapeutic innovation.
- Angela M Zivkovic, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition , University of California, Davis
Lipoproteins are the most abundant and biologically active lipid nanoparticles in human physiology, mediating outcomes ranging from cardiovascular health to neurodegenerative disease. While traditional cholesterol-lowering therapies have revolutionized medicine, the field is undergoing a renaissance fueled by particle-resolved measurements. As we are moving beyond bulk lipid concentrations to a deeper understanding of the structural and compositional heterogeneity that defines lipoprotein function.
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) represents a primary frontier in this research. Notoriously difficult to study due to their small size (5–14nm) and immense complexity, HDL particles encompass a vast array of subclasses. Historically, techniques like 2D gel electrophoresis provided glimpses into these "nascent" discoidal and "mature" spherical populations, but such methods are no longer scalable. Modern alternatives, including NMR and Ion Mobility MS, often fail to "see" specific charge-based subclasses or nascent particles, while volumetric methods like SEC and UC lack the ability to provide true particle counts.
To address these gaps, we present a multi-modal approach for the simultaneous characterization of lipoprotein physicochemical properties. By coupling ultracentrifugation (UC) with Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) and a suite of Wyatt Technologies optical detectors (MALS, DLS, UV, and dRI), we have achieved the ability to quantify particle count, molecular weight, and relative protein-to-lipid content on a per-particle basis. This non-destructive, preparative method resolves the intricate relationships between structure and function with unprecedented detail.
Furthermore, in collaboration with Waters Corporation, we showcase the first application of Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry (CDMS) to lipoprotein analysis. CDMS directly determines single particle mass and charge without deconvolution, making it uniquely suited for the extreme polydispersity of lipoproteins. Preliminary characterization of HDL reveals distinct ion populations, suggesting that CDMS can distinguish subtle compositional variants even within complex plasma samples.
This talk bridges the gap between classical biology and cutting-edge mass spectrometry, illustrating how these complementary technologies provide a clear, resolved view of the lipoprotein landscape and pave the way for new diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
Part 2. Native Ion Mobility Advances Extended Characterization and Protein Personality Profiling of Biotherapeutic Proteins
- Kristine Parson, PhD, Senior Scientist, Analytical Development, Fujifilm Diosynth
Biotherapeutic proteins display functional diversity and structural heterogeneity that conventional denaturing assays often miss. In this presentation we integrate native ion mobility–mass spectrometry (IM-MS) and collision-induced unfolding (CIU) into the extended characterization pipeline to obtain insights regarding protein stoichiometries and conformational heterogeneity across monoclonal antibody IgG subclasses, including various bispecific formats.
Utilizing native IM-MS and CIU enables us to perform “protein personality” assessments that maximize insights into molecule-specific behavior in order to guide formulation and developability decisions. In addition, we link degradation kinetics to effective monomer concentration by establishing monomer-normalized rate constants for predictive formulation screening, by using complementary CG-MALS and native IM-MS measurements.
5:00 PM-6:00 PM Networking Drinks Reception
Location:
- Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
- 333 W Harbor Drive
- San Diego, CA 92101
We look forward to welcoming you in San Diego.
