Matthias Rainer

Universität Innsbruck, Peking University

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Matthias Rainer is an analytical chemist whose research sits at the intersection of proteomics, mass spectrometry, and materials science, with a particular focus on developing innovative sample preparation technologies for protein and peptide analysis. His most influential work has centered on harnessing functionalized polymer materials — notably poly(glycidyl methacrylate/divinylbenzene) — to dramatically accelerate and simplify the processing of biological samples. Rainer's landmark 2009 study on ultrafast microwave-assisted in-tip protein digestion, which has garnered 44 citations, demonstrated how immobilizing trypsin within pipette tips could streamline enzymatic digestion while requiring minimal sample volumes — a significant practical advance for clinical and research proteomics alike. Complementing this, his 2006 work on ultra-fast mass fingerprinting using derivatized polymer supports (31 citations) helped establish the material-enhanced laser desorption/ionization (MELDI) approach as a powerful diagnostic strategy for analyzing complex biological matrices such as serum and cell lysates using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. His subsequent work on mass spectrometric profiling of low-molecular-weight proteins further extended these methodologies. Collectively, Rainer's contributions have meaningfully advanced the speed, sensitivity, and accessibility of protein characterization techniques central to biomarker discovery and clinical diagnostics.