Evaluating the performance of the Astral mass analyzer for quantitative proteomics using data independent acquisition

Abstract

We evaluate the quantitative performance of the newly released Asymmetric Track Lossless (Astral) analyzer. Using data independent acquisition, the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer quantifies 5 times more peptides per unit time than state-of-the-art Thermo Scientific Orbitrap mass spectrometers, which have long been the gold standard for high resolution quantitative proteomics. Our results demonstrate that the Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer can produce high quality quantitative measurements across a wide dynamic range. We also use a newly developed extra-cellular vesicle enrichment protocol to reach new depths of coverage in the plasma proteome, quantifying over 5,000 plasma proteins in a 60-minute gradient with the Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer.