UCT Chemistry Hosts Professor David Clarke for Groundbreaking Native Mass Spectrometry Experiments

Through the support of the UCT Visiting Scholar Fund and the Scottish Funding Council supported International Science Partnership Fund, the Department of Chemistry had the privilege of hosting Professor David Clarke, Chair of Mass Spectrometry at the University of Edinburgh. 

During his visit, Professor Clarke assisted in installing a new source for the department’s Q-TOF mass spectrometer, enabling the successful execution of Native Mass Spectrometry (MS)—a powerful technique in chemical biology that preserves biomolecular structures in their natural state during analysis. In addition, he gave a series of lectures on advanced mass spectrometry. 

Native MS is widely recognized as a transformative technology, yet it is not currently practiced in South Africa. The experiments conducted with Professor Clarke mark a significant milestone: the first successful Native MS experiments on the African continent. 

This achievement highlights UCT Chemistry’s commitment to advancing cutting-edge analytical techniques and opens new opportunities for research in structural biology, protein-ligand interactions, and biomolecular characterization.