STTR Phase I: Novel Ionization Process for Materials Characterization using Mass Spectrometry

这个小型企业技术转移(STTR)第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是提供一种新的和改进的分子表征工具，与质谱仪一起用于生物技术、制药、法医、临床、环境、食品和材料科学的应用。20世纪80年代，质谱学新电离技术的颠覆性发现对科学进步产生了重大影响，并催生了新的商机。在这项提案中，利用质谱学对材料进行表征的新电离技术正在商业化。电离过程将分子转化为气相离子，而不需要目前方法中使用的高压或激光，而不考虑分子的大小或挥发性。电离只需要所有质谱仪固有的真空和适当的小分子基质化合物。这项技术具有潜在的变革性，提供了易用性、降低的成本和可靠性，并具有通过改进的测量技术促进科学发展的高潜力。这些属性预计将在临床实验室、野外便携式质谱仪和生物威胁检测中产生最大影响。高灵敏度、简单性、易用性、低成本、高通量能力和独特的应用表明，在每年40亿美元的质谱仪市场上具有巨大的商业潜力。这一STTR第一阶段项目建议提供一个用于质谱学的原型离子源，该离子源基于一种新的电离技术，该技术仅使用热和/或亚大气压将小分子或大分子从溶液或固体相转移到气相离子。当与质谱学相结合时，这项技术提供了一种简单而强大的手段，可以直接从生物组织或聚合物薄膜等表面表征材料，这是以前不可能实现的。当某些小分子化合物与微量分析物混合并暴露在任何质谱仪固有的真空中时，会自发地产生分析物的气相离子。在基础研究中获得的知识将被应用于设计、建造和组装第一代多功能电离平台，以重复地将样品和材料引入真空环境中进行手动或高通量分析。将在没有激光的情况下开发快速表征生物材料(例如组织和微生物群落)中微米级表面缺陷/变化的方法。这一努力的产品将为材料表征提供新的方法，就像其他用于质谱学的新电离技术一样，将导致在广泛不同的科学领域推进知识的发现。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will be to provide a new and improved molecular characterization tool to be used with mass spectrometers for applications in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, forensic, clinical, environmental, food, and material sciences. Disruptive discoveries of new ionization technology for mass spectrometry in the 1980's had a major impact on the advancement of science and fueled new business opportunities. In this proposal, new ionization technology for characterization of material using mass spectrometry is being commercialized. The ionization process converts molecules, regardless of size or volatility, to gas-phase ions without the need for high voltage or lasers used in current methods. Only the vacuum inherent with all mass spectrometers, and an appropriate small molecule matrix compound, is needed for ionization. This technology is potentially transformative providing ease-of-use, reduced cost, and reliability with high potential for advancing science through improved measurement technologies. These attributes are expected to have the greatest impact in clinical laboratories, field portable mass spectrometers, and bio-threat detection. The high sensitivity, simplicity, ease-of-use, low-cost, high-throughput capabilities and unique applications suggest high commercial potential in the $4 billion per year mass spectrometer market. This STTR Phase I project proposes to deliver a prototype ion source for mass spectrometry based a novel ionization technology that transfers small or macromolecules from solution or solid phases to gas-phase ions using only heat and/or sub-atmospheric pressure. When combined with mass spectrometry, this technology provides a simple yet powerful means of characterizing materials directly from surfaces, such as biological tissue or polymeric films, in a manner that was previously not possible. Certain small molecule compounds when mixed with minute quantities of analyte and exposed to the vacuum inherent with any mass spectrometer spontaneously produces gas-phase ions of the analyte. The knowledge achieved in fundamental studies will be applied to design, construct, and assemble a first generation multifunctional ionization platform to reproducibly introduce samples and materials to the vacuum environment for manual or high throughput analyses. Means to rapidly characterize micron size surface defects/changes in biological materials (e.g., tissue, ansd microbial communities) will be developed without a laser. The products of this endeavor will provide new methods for materials characterization which, like other new ionization technology for mass spectrometry, will result in discoveries that advance knowledge in widely divergent areas of science.