Contrary to what is being said by several colleagues (and even advertised), data-independent analysis/acquisition (DIA) is not a new mass spectrometry acquisition method. Here we draw a timeline of events showing that DIA has been around since the early 2000s.
Keywords: Data-dependent analysis / Data-independent analysisIt is commonly heard in conference talks or read in a few papers [1] that data-independent analysis/acquisition (DIA) is a new way of analyzing proteomes in a shotgun fashion. That is not quite accurate. Back in 2004, Venable et al. proposed a modified method for MS/MS "based on the sequential isolation and fragmentation of precursor windows (of 10 m/z)", which was referred as "not data dependent" [2]. About a year later, Silva et al., while looking for a precise relative quantification method, proposed the quantitation of peptides based on MS acquisition without any previous isolation [3]. Here, they proposed to alternate the collision energy in low and high energy during MS acquisition. These data are then collected in two channels: one containing the signals of intact peptides and the other the chimeric fragmented peptides [4]. This is the so called MS E method.Both methods, described more than 10 years ago, are not dependent on MS data for fragmentation. Thus, they are DIA. DIA, data-independent analysis/acquisition; SWATH, sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra MS1 and sequential MS2 windowed acquisitions [5]. At the time, windows of 20 m/z overlapping by 1 m/z. More recently, the concept of SWATH (sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra) reverberated the use of DIA [6]. Gillet et al., while describing SWATH, actually cited Venable's paper from 2004, supporting the idea that DIA was already something existent. Not only that, but a simple PubMed search can show hundreds of papers using MS E in the past decade, in all kinds of different questions. The main differences in these methods rely on the data processing (spectral library vs. deconvolution) and the use or not of a selection window in the quadrupole. It is true though that SWATH has awaken DIA as a possibility for any mass spectrometer, in times where DDA started reaching its limits in proteomics, which is the focus on the identification of high-abundant proteins in a limited dynamic range. Another contributing factor was the significant developments around MS-based targeted proteomics using SRM and, more recently, PRM [7]. Empathy for DIA became stronger, and new developments on algorithms to deal with DIA data such as and Skyline DIA is now evolving even more. A few months ago, a new strategy proposed multiplexing narrowband and wideband DIA acquisitions in a single analytical workflow [12]. One could risk saying that this is a combination of SWATH and MS E . This multimode acquisition (MMA) strategy would avoid DIA drawbacks on sensitivity and chimeric C