SBIR Phase I: High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Attomole Sensitivity

该小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将使专有的多光子检测（MPD）技术适用于高效液相色谱（HPLC）技术，从而显著提高HPLC的检测限。目前的HPLC灵敏度受到所用检测器性能的限制，通常在10-12 μ g/ml的范围内。初步的实验结果表明，有可能实现优于10-15克/毫升的检测限。 拟议的研究重点是开发衍生剂和技术，以引入MPD兼容的标签，以subattomole/ml浓度存在的分析物。如果成功，这项研发工作将产生超高灵敏度的检测器和试剂，用于使用HPLC进行研究和分析。由此产生的HPLC/MPD系统将使研究人员能够分离，检测和测量以前无法达到的水平的物质。 超灵敏的HPLC/MPD仪器将大大促进生物重要物质如神经递质、甾体激素、血管紧张素等的作用和功能的研究。它还将极大地促进药效动力学研究，从而更好地了解药物相互作用以及新药的安全性和有效性。因此，HPLC/MPD仪器应在学术和工业实验室中找到应用。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will adapt the proprietary Multi Photon Detection (MPD) technology to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques, thereby significantly improving the detection limits of HPLC. Current HPLC sensitivity is limited by the performance of the detectors used, and is typically in the range of 10-12 g/ml. Preliminary experimental results suggest the possibility of achieving detection limits of better than 10-15 g/ml. The proposed research focuses on the development of derivatizing agents and techniques to introduce MPD-compatible labels to analytes which are present at subattomole/ml concentrations. If successful, this R&D effort will yield an ultra-high sensitivity detector and reagents for research and analysis using HPLC. The resulting HPLC/MPD system will enable researchers to isolate, detect and measure substances at levels which were previously unattainable. Ultra-sensitive HPLC/MPD instrumentation will significantly facilitate the study of the role and function of biologically important substances such as neurotransmitters, steroidal hormones, angiotensins, and others. It will also greatly facilitate pharmaco-kinetic studies leading to a better understanding of drug interactions and the safety and effectiveness of new pharmaceuticals. Thus HPLC/MPD instrumentation should find application in both academic and industrial laboratories.