Juan Astorga-Wells, PhD
Pharmacist
Scientific Manager
Biomotif AB
Box 156 SE-182 12 Danderyd, Sweden
Email jaw@biomotif.com
&
Postdoctoral Fellow, Karolinska Institutet
Dept. Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics
SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 8 524 8 7780
Fax: +46 8 337462
_______________________________________________________________________________
Experience
▫ 2006-present: Scientific manager, Biomotif AB. Frequent consultant for Analytica of
Branford (acquired by PerkinElmer). Co-supervisor of one PhD Student at Stockholm Univ.
▫ 2005-2008: Posdoctoral Fellow, at Hans Jörnvall’s laboratory, Karolinska
Institutet; and Scientific Manager of Biomotif AB. Project leader on the construction
of Electrocapture instruments. Also, responsible for the development of novel
applications focused on protein identification by shotgun proteomics and mass
spectrometry. Co-supervisor of one PhD student.
▫ 2001 - 2004: PhD student at Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, at Hans Jörnvall`s
group, Karolinska Institutet.
▫ 2000 - 2001: PhD student at Center for Genomics Research, at Harold Swerdlow`s
group, Karolinska Institutet.
▫ 1998 - 1999: Instructor/Research position at the School of Pharmacy, Univ. de Concepción.
Relevant Publications
▫ Vollmer S, Astorga-Wells J, Alvelius G, Bergman T, Jörnvall H. (2008) Peptide enrichment by
▫ Astorga-Wells J, Vollmer S, Bergman T, Jörnvall H. (2007) Formation of stable stacking
zones in a flow stream for sample immobilization in microfluidic systems. Analytical Chemistry,
79 (3):1057-1063. [Link]
▫ Vollmer, S., Astorga-Wells, J., Bergman, T. and Jörnvall, H. (2006) Microfluidic
electrocapture interfaced with electrospray mass spectrometry. International Journal
of Mass Spectrometry. in press.
▫ Astorga-Wells, J., Vollmer, S., Bergman, T and Jörnvall, H. (2005) Separation of Peptides
Using the Electrocapture Technology. Analytical Chemistry, 77, 7131-7136. [Link]
(between the TOP20 Most-Accessed articles downloaded from Analytical Chemistry Oct-Dec 2005)
▫ Astorga-Wells, J., Vollmer, S., Bergman, T and Jörnvall, H. (2005) Microfluidic systems
and proteomics: applications of the electrocapture technology to protein and peptide
analysis. Analytical Biochemistry Oct 1;345(1):10-7. [Link]
(between the TOP25 Hottest Articles downloaded across ScienceDirect Oct-Dec 2005)
▫ Astorga-Wells, J., Bergman, T and Jörnvall, H. (2004) Multistep Microreactions with
Proteins Using Electrocapture Technology. Analytical Chemistry, 76, 2425-2429. [Link]
05
▫ Astorga-Wells, J. and Swerdlow H. (2003) Fluidic Preconcentrator Device for Capillary
Electrophoresis of Proteins. Analytical Chemistry, 75, 5207-5212. [Link]
▫ Astorga-Wells, J., Jörnvall, H. and Bergman, T. (2003) A Microfluidic Electrocapture
Device in Sample Preparation for Protein Analysis by MALDI Mass Spectrometry.
Analytical Chemistry, 75, 5213-5219. [Link]
Conferences
▫ American Society of Mass Spectrometry Meeting (ASMS), Seattle, 2006 (poster)
▫ International Workshop on Nanobiotechnology, Lund, Sweden, 2005 (Invited speaker).
▫ Methods in Protein Structure Analysis, Seattle, USA, 2004 (Speaker)
▫ International Symposium on Microscale Separation and Capillary Electrophoresis,
Salzburg, Austria, 2004 (Speaker)
Patents
▫ Method and device for capturing charged molecules traveling in a flow stream. PCT
Patent (PCT/SE 2003/002027, WO 2004/056697). Main inventor. Claims, description
and methods were written and intellectually elaborated by Astorga-Wells.
▫ A Device and Methods for Electrocapture-based Separations. Patent pending; Patent
written and intellectually elaborated by Astorga-Wells.
Education
PhD in Medical Biochemistry, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (2004)
Title: Microfluidic Electrocapture Technology in Protein and Peptide Analysis.
Pharmacist - Univ. de Concepción, Chile (1998)
Undergraduated thesis on Neurochemistry and Neuropharmacology.
Research Interests & Skills
My present research is focused on the development and optimization of liquid
separation technologies for peptide and protein analysis by mass spectrometry. Since
sample preparation is the most common bottleneck in the analysis of biofluids, I am
especially interest in analytical tools than combine online sample pretreatment and
liquid-separation for direct coupling to ESI-MS/MS or MALDI-MS/MS. For example,
I have currently developed and optimized an on-line sample cleanup and separation
strategy for samples containing tryptic peptides obtained from shotgun digestion of
membrane proteins of rat kidney cell. Submicroliter fractions are spotted onto the
MALDI plate for subsequent identification by MS/MS. The same electrocapture
approach can be done but combined with online electrospray mass spectrometry (MS/MS).
In addition to a strong background in analytical chemistry, my pharmacist
degree gives me an overall picture of the medical, pharmacological and biochemical
implication of my research. Practical applications of these technologies on drug- and
disease-marker discovery are the ultimate aim of my scientific work.
Relevant skills:
- Tof and Q-Tof mass spectrometers for peptide and protein analysis.
- MALDI and electrospray ionization (on-line or off-line).
- In-gel-digestion for peptide mass fingerprinting & database search.
- Peptide sequencing by MS/MS & database search.
- On-line micro-LC and electrospray ionization.
- Capillary electrophoresis (Laser-induced fluorescence and UV detection).
- In vivo microdialysis (intravenous and brain).
- Basic knowledge of electronics and data-acquisition for instrument/method development.