TIMSCONVERT: A workflow to convert trapped ion mobility data to open data formats

Abstract Summary Advances in mass spectrometry instrumentation have led to the development of mass spectrometers with ion mobility separation (IMS) capabilities and dual source instrumentation, but the current software ecosystem lacks interoperability with downstream data analysis using open-source software/pipelines. Here, we present TIMSCONVERT, a data conversion workflow from timsTOF fleX MS raw data files to size conscious mzML and imzML formats with minimal preprocessing to allow for compatibility with downstream data analysis tools, which we showcase with several examples using data acquired across different experiments and acquisition modalities on the timsTOF fleX. Availability and Implementation TIMSCONVERT and its documentation can be found at https://github.com/gtluu/timsconvert and is available as a standalone command line interface, Nextflow workflow, and online in the Global Natural Products Social (GNPS) platform (https://proteomics2.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/index.jsp?params={%22workflow%22%3A%20%22TIMSCONVERT%22}). Contact Mingxun Wang, miw023@ucsd.edu Supplementary Information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.