Professor Colin Creaser

Research interests

Research is being carried out in two related areas of analytical science:

• Mass Spectrometry.  Several aspects of the development and application of gas-phase ion chemistry and mass spectrometry, including associated inlet systems and combined chromatography/mass spectrometry separations, are under investigation using ion trap, time-of-flight and quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometry.



• Ion mobility spectrometry. Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a gas-phase electrophoretic technique used in structural and trace analysis. Current work is being undertaken on structural and conformational studies, ligand-receptor interactions and applications of IMS and ion mobility-mass spectrometry to complex mixture analysis in pharmaceutical and biomedical science.

We are applying our novel mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry techniques to analytical applications in the following areas:

• Metabonomics and Proteomics. Metabonomics and proteomics involves the study of the variations in expression or excretion patterns of metabolites and proteins by a human, animal or other organisms in response to disease, drugs or environmental changes. Our aim is to identify and quantify biomarkers in order to allow insights into biochemical pathways and the development of novel assays for diagnosis/prognosis and response to therapy.



• High throughput techniques. The development of high throughput mass spectrometry and ion mobility techniques for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples.

• Reference standards. The development of standards and validation protocols for ion mobility spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry/mass spectrometry.

Selected recent publications

A proteomic approach combining MS and bioinformatic analysis for the detection and identification of biomarkers of administration of exogenous human growth hormone in humans, Boateng J, Kay R, Lancashire L, Brown P, Velloso C, Bouloux P, Teale P, Roberts J, Rees R, Ball G, Harridge S, Goldspink G, Creaser C, Proteomics Clin. Appl., 2009, 3, 912-922.

Effects of drift gas and binary drift gas mixtures on the separations of active pharmaceutical ingredients and impurities by ion mobility – mass spectrometry, Howdle M D, Eckers C, Laures A M-F, Creaser C S, Int. J. Mass Spectrom., 2009, in press.

The Use of Shift Reagents in Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry: Studies on the Complexation of an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient with Polyethylene Glycol Excipients, Howdle, M D; Eckers, C; Laures, A M F, Creaser C S, J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom., 2009, 20, 1-9.

An approach to enhancing coverage of the urinary metabonome using liquid chromatography-ion mobility-mass spectrometry, Harry, E L; Weston, D J; Bristow, A W T, Wilson I D, Creaser C S, J. Chromatogr. B, 2008, 871, 357-361.

Analysis of pharmaceutical formulations using atmospheric pressure ion mobility spectrometry combined with liquid chromatography and nano-electrospray ionization, Budimir, N, Weston, D J, Creaser, C S, Analyst, 2007, 132, 34-40.

Analysis of tryptic peptides using desorption electrospray ionization combined with ion mobility/mass spectrometry, Kaur-Atwal G, Weston D J, Green P S, Crosland S, Bonner P L R, Creaser C S, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 2007, 21, 1131-1138.

Diagnostic biomarkers differentiating metastatic melanoma patients from healthy controls identified by an integrated MALDI-TOF mass sectrometry/boinformatic approach, Matharoo-Ball, B, Ratcliffe, L, Lancashire, L, Ugurel, S, Miles A K, Weston, D J, Rees, R, Schadendorf, D, Ball, B, Creaser C S, Proteomics Clin. Appl., 2007, 1, 605-620.

Direct analysis of pharmaceutical formulations using ion mobility spectrometry/Q-TOF mass spectrometry combined with desorption electrospray ionization. Weston D J, Bateman R, Wilson I D, Wood T R, Creaser C S, Anal. Chem, 2005, 77, 7572 -7580.

Ion mobility spectrometry: a review. Part 1. Structural analysis by mobility measurement. Creaser C S, Griffiths J R, Bramwell C J, Noreen S, Hill C A, Thomas C L P, Analyst, 2004, 129, 984 – 994.

Nano-electrospray ion mobility spectrometry and ion trap mass spectrometry studies of the non-covalent complexes of amino acids and peptides with polyethers. Colgrave M L, Bramwell C J, Creaser C S, Int. J Mass Spectrom., 2003, 229, 209-216.