Pure MHC's immunopeptidomics workflow with the timsTOF Ultra

Pure MHC, a pioneer in immunopeptidomics, has partnered with Bruker, a leader in state-of-the-art mass spectrometry, to demonstrate one of Pure MHC’s immunopeptidomics workflows. In this Live from the Lab webinar, tissue sample processing, data acquisition with a Bruker timsTOF Ultra, and data analysis will be reviewed as tools for the development and validation of HLA peptide targets for immunopeptidomic development.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Get insights into Pure MHC's sample preparation strategies to maximize the yield of immunopeptides from tissue samples
• Discover how the unparalleled sensitivity and robustness of the Bruker timsTOF Ultra empowers users to maximize the potential of their immunopeptide samples
• Understand data processing workflows for both DDA and DIA data processing

Presenter: Curtis McMurtrey, Ph.D. (Director of Immunoproteomics, Pure MHC, LLC, Oklahoma City, OK, USA)

Dr. McMurtrey earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2010. He currently serves as the Director of Immuno-Proteomics at Pure MHC, LLC.

Dr. McMurtrey has studied HLA and its role in immunity since 2005. He is a member of American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) and holds the distinction of having won four ASHI Top Scholar Awards, more than any other scientist in the history of ASHI. Dr. McMurtrey is most notable for his work on West Nile virus epitope discovery and validation with HLA-A*02:01 and B*07:02; epitopes he discovered have been successfully tested in a WNV vaccine (collaboration with Drs. Hansen and Diamond at Washington University). His most recent accolades come from discovery of MR1 ligands from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) as well as over 200 novel ligands from Toxoplasma gondii utilizing Deep Ligand Sequencing (DLS).

Dr. McMurtrey has expertise in BSL-3 containment techniques, protein purification, HLA ligand isolation, HPLC separation, mass spectrometric analysis, ELISPOT, and multicolor flow cytometry as well as provides bioinformatics expertise. To date, he has directed mass spectrometry (both IDA and SWATH) acquisition as well as comparative analysis and interpretation for a wide variety of MHC ligands including those from tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, influenza, WNV, HIV and multiple cancers. Dr. Curtis McMurtrey oversees DLS acquisition and analyses and also manages database library collection.

Presenter: Jason R. Krawic, Ph.D. (Business Development Manager, Pure MHC, LLC, Oklahoma City, OK, USA)

Dr. Krawic earned his Master’s degree in Biomolecular Sciences from Central Connecticut State University in 2012 before returning to academia and earning his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2024. He currently serves as the Director of Business Development at Pure MHC, LLC.

Dr. Krawic began his scientific career teaching Microbiology, Biology, and Chemistry to community college students in Connecticut and Oklahoma. He has studied HLA and non-classical MHC molecules since 2018. He is most recognized for discovering multiple isomeric conformations of MR1 ligands, as well as his work in MHC Class I and Class II ligands and cancer immunotherapies.

Dr. Krawic’s expertise ranges from classical microbiology and bacteriology to HPLC separation, protein purification, negative ion mode small molecule mass spectrometry, DDA, DIA and MRM acquisition and a variety of bioinformatics tools. In addition to his scientific career, Dr. Krawic has more than a decade of experience in sales and retail management. With this skill set he combines his science and sales backgrounds to serve Pure MHC’s customer base.

Presenter: Kris Looney, MBA (President, Pure MHC, LLC, Austin, TX, USA)

As President of Emergent Technologies, the manager of Pure MHC, Kris Looney is responsible for conceiving and executing key business initiatives, developing strategic plans, and managing business processes including accounting, marketing, intellectual property, and business development. Kris has more than two decades of experience as a business generalist with a background in start-ups, management, accounting, marketing, negotiation, and sales.

Before joining Emergent, Kris served as the COO and Interim CEO of the American Red Cross of Central Texas, where he balanced multiple stakeholder needs with service responsibilities in a competitive philanthropic environment. Prior to that, he was the CFO of Transformation Enzyme Corporation, where his financial management and business development helped a bootstrapped entrepreneurial start-up become a leader in the nutritional supplement market. Kris has a B.A. in marketing and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Presenter: Matt Willetts, Ph.D. (Proteomics Applications Manager, Bruker Scientific LLC, Billerica, MA, USA)

Matt received his Ph.D. in mass spectrometry with Prof. Malcolm Clench at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. He then joined Waters as the Technical Marketing Specialist for LCMS and MALDI products, focusing on application development for proteomics-based workflows. Matt joined Bruker in 2010 and is responsible for proteomics applications and support in North America.