New Objective Webinar: PicoChip – The Most Comprehensive LC-MS Platform for Immunopeptidomics

April 9, 2025 – Littleton, MA (USA) Emily Ehrenfeld, President, New Objective and Amanda Berg, Vice President, New Objective hosted a webinar event on Wednesday March 5th featuring Robert Salzler, Team Leader for Immunopeptidomics (Discovery and Targeted) for Oncology, Infectious Disease and Autoimmunity at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and his ongoing work using PicoChip® columns for immunopeptidomics.

Helena Svobodova, Product Manager, New Objective, launched the meeting with an introduction to the New Objective Solutions product Line. Steve Klohr, Director of Business Development, New Objective, introduced Robert and his presentation titled Optimization of HLA Class I and Class II Immunopeptidomics utilizing the most comprehensive LC-MS platform: Vanquish Neo-(Trap and Elute) combined with New Objective PicoChip Technology in tandem with FAIMS on the Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer.

Robert presented their recent work pushing the boundaries of sensitivity using nanoflow LC-MS, for the detection and identification of HLA associated peptides. PicoChip together with the UFS™ (Universal Flow Station), their established platform for chromatography, has facilitated the ready evaluation of newer generation MS platforms to improve sensitivity and reduce the number of cells as starting material required for reliable results. The transition from existing platforms to the newest instrumentation has been seamless using PicoChip, allowing them to quickly identify sensitivity improvements in their data, resulting in a 20 – 100X decrease in starting material for cell lines.

“For our evaluation of the latest MS platform, using PicoChip, it was up and running right away.” -Robert Salzler, Regeneron

Tissue biopsy, a challenging sample, is the target for Robert as he pushes the boundaries of sensitivity for the MS based workflows in his laboratory. PicoChip has played a “key role” in actualizing the performance improvements of the latest generation of MS instrumentation due to the “reliable, robust and sensitive results PicoChip delivers”. Robert emphasized that when used together they “can do diagnostics with tissue biopsies”.

Robert went on to share the development of DIA workflows using IM-9 cells, a multiple myeloma, EBV transformed B-Lymphoblast cell line. Robert highlighted the “plug and play” design of the PicoChip and how combined with the “high resolution, robust, stable data” it has delivered for their laboratory, allowed ready and facile comparison across MS platforms. The introduction of ion mobility as part of their workflow, provides additional separation, but requires individualized tuning and optimization for each MS instrument. The “reproducibility of PicoChip is really important” in supporting this optimization, “generating Total Ion Chromatograms (TIC) with very low Coefficients of Variation (CVs)” and Robert is “really happy with PicoChip on the Astral™”.

“PicoChip has revolutionized what we can do in their laboratory. They last so long and give them what they want with robust, sensitive chromatography, out-of-the box.” – Robert Salzler, Regeneron

Using the PicoChip platform together with the latest MS instrumentation developments, Robert and his team have revolutionized their workflows, demonstrated improved sensitivity and expanded their capabilities for more impactful results. PicoChip, together with the industry’s latest analytical tools, is powering the transformation of their results, making a difference for patients.

Revolutionize your analysis and see what PicoChip can do for your laboratory. Contact Steve Klohr steve.klohr@neowbjective.com for more information.