SBIR Phase I: Robust High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry Through Vacuum Matrix Assisted Ionization

小企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种新发现的自发电离过程，用于质谱分析，并结合一种新型的样品引入装置。 这项技术有可能推动质谱进入目前这种首要分析工具服务不足的新应用领域。所得到的方法是能够分析生物和环境样品在3秒/样品直接从生物基质没有仪器污染。该方法降低了成本、能源使用和所需的用户专业知识，同时提供了具有前所未有的鲁棒性的高灵敏度和分析速度。这些属性满足了医疗诊断、生物威胁检测和环境损害控制等方面对准确和及时信息的需求。 这有可能通过改进的测量技术来推进科学，通过敏感、快速和可靠地检测药物对蛋白质的影响来改善医疗保健、环境修复和安全性等社会效益。 围绕该技术构建的新仪器具有显著的商业潜力，因为它解决了当前的缺点，例如高成本，对操作员专业知识的要求，缺乏对污染的鲁棒性，以及对高通量自动化分析的需求，这些属性目前限制了质谱在重要应用中的吸引力。SBIR第一阶段项目提出通过实施2012年通过NSF资助的研究首次发现的新型电离技术来推进质谱分析。该提议的电离过程将大的和小的化合物转化为气相离子，而不管挥发性如何，这仅仅是通过将样品与某些小分子化合物结合而暴露于亚大气压下，而不需要激光、高电压或加热。 一个关键的特点是快速暴露连续样品直接从大气压力真空提供操作简单，分析速度，降低运营成本，并消除污染的风险。 该仪器和相关方法广泛适用于快速分析各种化合物，包括药物及其代谢物，以及生物流体和组织，而不需要纯化并且没有仪器污染。 其他目标包括设计和构建用于这种新电离技术的新型样品引入方法和相关联的离子转移透镜，以适合特定的商业质谱仪器，以及验证-该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

The broader impact/commercial potential of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is the development of a newly discovered spontaneous ionization process for use with mass spectrometry that is combined with a novel sample introduction device. This technology has the potential to drive mass spectrometry into new application areas that are currently underserved by this premier analytical tool. The resulting method is capable of analyzing biological and environmental samples in 3 sec/sample directly from the biological matrix without instrument contamination. The method reduces cost, energy use, and required user expertise, while providing high sensitivity and speed of analysis with unprecedented robustness. These attributes address the need for accurate and timely information in medical diagnostics, biothreat detection, and environmental damage control among others. This has the potential to advance science through improved measurement technology with societal benefits of improved healthcare, environmental remediation, and safety through sensitive, rapid, and reliable detection of drugs to proteins. New instrumentation built around this technology has significant commercial potential because it addresses current shortcomings such as high cost, requirement for operator expertise, lack of robustness to contamination, and need for high-throughput automatable analyses, attributes that currently limit the appeal of mass spectrometry in important applications. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to advance mass spectrometry by implementing novel ionization technology first discovered in 2012 through NSF-funded research. The ionization process of this proposal converts large and small compounds regardless of volatility to gas-phase ions simply by exposure to sub-atmospheric pressure through association of the sample with certain small molecule compounds without the need for a laser, high voltage, or the application of heat. A key feature is rapidly exposing successive samples to vacuum directly from atmospheric pressure providing simplicity of operation, speed of analysis, reduced operating cost, and elimination of risk of contamination. The instrument and associated method are broadly applicable for fast analyses of a wide array of compounds, including drugs and their metabolites, and biological fluids and tissues without the need for purification and without instrument contamination. Additional objectives include designing and building a novel sample introduction method for this new ionization technology and an associated ion transfer lens to fit specific commercial mass spectrometry instruments as well as demonstration of proof-of-concept for important applications such as rapid bacteria identification.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.