Desorption/Ionization in Nanofiber SALDI Mass Spectrometry

在化学系化学测量和成像项目的支持下，俄亥俄州州立大学的Susan Olesik和Zachary Schultz博士及其团队正在努力改进表面辅助激光解吸电离（SALDI）质谱法，这是一种用于检测小化学物质和大分子（例如-聚合物和蛋白质）。 在这项工作中获得的见解应有助于加强环境分析，例如监测自然沃茨中痕量污染物，并通过跟踪生物液体中与疾病有关的物种，以越来越低的水平检测人类疾病。为了提高历史上代表性不足的学生在科学方面的机会，如第一代大学生和少数民族，两个研究小组的招聘工作将允许这些本科生在各自的实验室与研究生一起工作，以获得最先进的实验室科学技能。Olesik和Schultz小组正在努力提高基于纳米纤维的表面辅助激光解吸/电离（SALDI）的性能，通过对激发激光与SALDI衬底之间、衬底内以及从衬底到分析物分子的能量转移的基础研究。 这项工作的首要目标是显着提高基于纳米纤维的SALDI的性能。与基质辅助激光解吸电离（MALDI）相比，SALDI通常为小分子的分析提供显著的优势，这是由于低检测限、质谱中信号/噪声的改善的再现性以及在由基质电离引起的低质量范围内不存在“化学”背景。基于纳米纤维的SALDI具有其他实现的所有优点;然而，它也可以经常实现特定高分子量化合物的强信号/噪声。通过对激发激光与SALDI基质之间、基质内以及基质与分析物分子之间的能量转移的基础研究，将提高基于SALDI的SALDI的性能。这一机制的研究如何能量转移的影响解吸/电离的纳米纤维为基础的SALDI预计将定义高性能的结构适合痕量检测的低和高分子量的分析物。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Drs. Susan Olesik and Zachary Schultz and their groups at Ohio State University are working to improve on Surface-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (SALDI) mass spectrometry, a powerful analytical method for the detection of both small chemical species and large macromolecules (e.g.- polymers and proteins). Insights gained in this work should enable enhanced environmental analyses, such as monitoring trace-level amounts of pollutants in natural waters and human disease detection through tracking disease-related species in biological fluids at increasingly low levels. To enhance the opportunities for historically underrepresented students in science, such as first generation college students and racial minorities, recruitment efforts by both research groups will allow these undergraduates to work alongside graduate students in the respective laboratories to acquire skills in state-of-the art laboratory science. The Olesik and Schultz group are working to improve the performance of nanofiber-based surface assisted laser desorption/ ionization, SALDI, through fundamental studies of energy transfer between the excitation laser and the SALDI substrate, within the substrate, and from the substrate to the analyte molecules. The overarching goal of this work is to markedly enhance the performance of nanofiber-based , SALDI. Often SALDI provides significant advantages for analysis of small molecules compared to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization, MALDI, due to the low detection limits, improved reproducibility of signal/noise in the mass spectrum, and the absence of a “chemical” background in the low mass range arising from ionization of the matrix. Nanofiber-based SALDI has all the advantages of other implementations; however, it can also often achieve strong signal/noise for specific high molecular weight compounds. The performance of nanofiber based SALDI will be improved through fundamental studies of energy transfer between the excitation laser and SALDI substrate, within the substrate, and from the substrate to the analyte molecules. This mechanistic study of how energy transfer impacts desorption/ionization for nanofiber-based SALDI is expected to define high performing constructs appropriate for trace detection of both low and high molecular weight analytes.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.