The French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) is among the world’s leading research institutions. Its scientists explore the living world, matter, the Universe, and the functioning of human societies in order to meet the major challenges of today and tomorrow. Internationally recognised for the excellence of its scientific research, the CNRS is a reference in the world of research and development, as well as for the general public. At European level, Lyon is directly connected to all major cities and CNRS is coordinating several FP7 and H2020 projects. Lyon is also well known for chemistry and pharmaceutics industrial firms. The city (a UNESCO world heritage site) offers an exceptional quality of life and many cultural events. The Institute of Light and Matter (Institut Lumière Matière, ILM) is a research unit (identification code: UMR5306) under the responsibility of both the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1. The ILM is located on the La Doua campus in Villeurbanne, where it provides a unique structure to host the scientific and pedagogical expertise of 300 collaborators, which covers the fields of physics and chemistry, extending from molecules to bulk materials and from optics to nanoscience. Numerous projects undertaken by the ILM are situated at the interface to biology, medicine, earth and environmental sciences, and engineering.

Role in Ariadne VIBE

CNRS is responsible for the simulation, design and evaluation of the CDMS system operated in stand-alone mode, analysing viruses and bacteria using ESI. CNRS will drive the first generation system with home-made electronics. A second unit will be produced by CNRS for final integration onto the ARIADNE platform – the first CDMS will remain with CNRS to continue top-down and resolution developments. CNRS will also be in charge of ion optics simulations for the injection and ejection processes in CDMS devices.

The ARIADNE project will offer an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the unique tandem MS capabilities of this technology to viruses, with a great potential of providing an unprecedented level of information on specific virus variants. Top-down analysis of entire viruses will be executed in the CDMS system by IRMPD using a CO2 laser for producing high mass fragments

CNRS will contribute to the interface for soft landing of single bacterial cells and viruses characterized in the gas phase by CDMS and subsequently recovered from vacuum and processed by proteomics workflows.