Manufacturing Matrix-free Mass Spectrometry Targets

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I project will develop a novel integrated large-scale manufacturing process for an innovative new nanostructured target substrate for matrix-free laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This novel target substrate provides an unprecedented level of analytical capability with detection limits of attomolar concentrations, reduced sample volume requirements, extremely low laser power requirements, and the ability to detect small molecules between 100 and 700 Daltons and peptides below 2000 Daltons with the absence of confounding matrix ions. This innovative substrate technology overcomes several key issues associated with conventional matrix and matrix-free mass spectrometry methodologies to permit the reproducible, quantitative, rapid and high-sensitivity detection for identification and quantification of biological molecular systems. In Phase I, we will determine the feasibility of transitioning this technology from our current laboratory scale fabrication methodology to a pilot-scale manufacturing process for manufacturing of this substrate. Specifically, we will identify critical process technologies for achieving high reproducibility, quality control and low cost which are essential parameters for large-scale manufacturing of this system for use in high sensitivity, quantitative analysis of small molecule systems. In Phase II, the information in Phase I will be used to develop an integrated manufacturing system capable of large-scale production of target substrates for application into the fields of proteomics, drug discovery, genomics and toxicology.