In a mass spectrometric analysis, the molecules are ionized, separated and detected according to their mass. Henry Benner, Gary Siuzdak and their colleagues found a trick to overcome this problem. Using these measurements, the mass of the entire virus particle can be measured. Another remarkable finding is that viruses can survive the mild ionization conditions. They remain intact and infectious - remarkable given that the individual building blocks are not chemically bound together.
Viruses consist of a protein coating and a DNA molecule that contains the genetic information.
The protein shell is made up of hundreds or thousands of identical copies of a single coating protein. At the same time the mass of the viruses could provide valuable information about different viral subpopulations.