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

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种新发现的自发电离过程，用于与质谱仪结合使用，并与一种新的样品引入装置相结合。这项技术有可能推动质谱学进入新的应用领域，而目前这一主要分析工具还没有为这些领域提供足够的服务。所建立的方法能够在3秒内直接从生物基质中分析生物和环境样品，而不会对仪器造成污染。该方法降低了成本、能源消耗和所需的用户专业知识，同时以前所未有的健壮性提供了高灵敏度和高速度的分析。这些属性解决了医疗诊断、生物治疗检测和环境破坏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动科学的发展，并通过灵敏、快速和可靠的药物到蛋白质的检测来改善医疗保健、环境修复和安全性。围绕这项技术建造的新仪器具有巨大的商业潜力，因为它解决了目前的缺点，如高成本、对操作员专业知识的要求、对污染缺乏稳健性，以及对高通量自动化分析的需求，这些特性目前限制了质谱仪在重要应用中的吸引力。这个SBIR第一阶段项目计划通过实施2012年通过NSF资助的研究首次发现的新的电离技术来促进质谱学的发展。这种建议的电离过程不考虑挥发性，只需将样品与某些小分子化合物缔合，暴露在亚大气压下，就可以将大小化合物转化为气相离子，而不需要激光、高压或加热。一个主要特点是将连续样品直接从大气压快速暴露在真空中，操作简单，分析速度快，降低了操作成本，并消除了污染风险。该仪器和相关方法广泛适用于各种化合物的快速分析，包括药物及其代谢物、生物液和组织的快速分析，而不需要进行纯化，也不会造成仪器污染。其他目标包括为这种新的电离技术设计和建造一种新颖的样品引入方法和相关的离子转移透镜，以适应特定的商业质谱仪，以及为重要应用(如快速细菌鉴定)演示概念验证。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.