Structure-elucidation from ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry data: are detailed structures amenable?

Ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) methods have gained significant attention to study structures for complex and dynamic biological systems such as amyloid assemblies or viral capsids. These studies make use of the fact that the measured mobility of an ion is related to its microscopic structure. However, current studies do not allow a quantitative and predictive structural interpretation of IMS-MS data. In this contribution, we discuss our approach towards a quantitative and predictive structural interpretation of IMS-MS data. Specifically, we present our progress made towards conducting two-dimensional, time- and energy-resolved trapped ion mobility spectrometry measurements (TIMS/TIMS) and discuss approaches for accurately computing ion mobility spectra for structural analysis.