Electrofocusing Device for Instrument Hyphenation

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究和开发工作的总体目标是将电泳聚焦装置商业化，该装置旨在增强样品管理和现有分析仪器的通用连字符连接。将进行可行性研究，包括数学建模，设计，制造和实验测试的电聚焦装置。主要目的是证明在毛细管规模装置中储存、调节和浓缩目标样品的能力。 样品路由器将使样品管理具有前所未有的灵活性，将缓冲液交换、溶质浓缩、溶质分离、溶质收集和选择性溶质路由整合到单个设备中。除了改进单个仪器之外，来自不同制造商的分析仪器可以容易地连接以产生无缝的集成系统，用于执行复杂的分析而无需干预。由于该设备的性质，它还可以作为一种新的样品制备设备，用于复杂混合物的高分辨率分离，以及低丰度目标分子的积累。而且，在某些配置中，路由器可以增加分析仪器装置的并行处理能力。路由器的总体商业目标是通过减少手动过程步骤和分析时间来提高分析系统的能力并降低成本。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of this research and development effort is the commercialization of an electrophoretic focusing device designed for enhanced sample management and universal hyphenation of existing analytical instruments. A feasibility study will be conducted that includes mathematical modeling, design, fabrication, and experimental testing of the electro-focusing device. The major aim is to demonstrate the ability to store, condition, and concentrate target samples in a capillary-scale device. The sample router will enable unprecedented flexibility for sample management with consolidation of buffer exchange, solute concentration, solute separation, solute collection, and selective solute routing into a single device. In addition to improving individual instruments, analytical instruments from different manufacturers may be easily connected to yield seamless, integrated systems for performance of complicated analyses without intervening. Due to the nature of the device, it can also serve as a new category of sample prep device for the high-resolution separation of complex mixtures, as well as the accumulation of low abundance target molecules. Also, in certain configurations, the router may increase the parallel processing capabilities of analytical instrument installments. The overall commercial target for the router is to increase analytical system capabilities and lower costs by reducing manual process steps and analysis time.