Modular system for the direct detection of biomolecules by low-temperature plasma ionization coupled to a mass spectrometry analyzer

全球现代化最近引发了第四次工业革命，即所谓的工业4.0。在这种发展中，能源和资源的消耗被最小化，从而减少了废物的产生，最终降低了生产成本。通过工艺分析对产品进行必要的在线监控。虽然存在许多将这种方法应用于高科技制造过程的概念，但对低技术部门的关注却很少或根本没有。虽然这些行业不仅建立了许多国家经济的基础，而且还提供了国际上需要的材料（例如，在农业和食品加工中），但由于单个产品的低财务周转率，它们特别难以通过过程分析来确定目标。到目前为止，大多数过程分析工具都是高度专业化的，并且依赖于专业人员。对广泛应用的分析技术有强烈的需求。目前应用最广泛的分析工具是质谱分析（MS）。然而，质谱仪器通常非常精密、笨重且昂贵。该提案提出了一种灵活的方法，通过模块化组成的仪器来弥合这一差距。原则上，未来单个设备可以包含的模块数量没有上限，在申请的项目中，我们将示例性地设计和评估i)激光烧蚀单元，ii)环境电离单元，iii)离子迁移率分离器（IMS）和iv)质量分析仪（MS）。模块化方法显示出几个优点：i)工具适合目的，即复杂程度，因此，成本可以根据问题设置的复杂程度来选择。ii)通过正交标准（如IMS和MS）进行后续滤波，导致单个滤波器的需求降低。因此，两个连续的低成本分析仪可以产生良好的解析能力。iii)单个模块化组件可以相对简单。通过这种方式，他们可以使用最初为其他应用而制造的批量生产部件（具有卓越的成本效率）。由于该项目的主要参与者是非商业性的公共机构，与目前控制质谱设备市场的跨国公司相反，我们将提供一种可重复的仪器设计，并使我们的设备作为一种使能技术可供低预算的研究小组和最终用户使用。这种基于共同基础的对等生产的概念——已经在知识创造（wiki）等领域取得了成功——有望通过分布式生产工具（如3D打印机）改变经济。在要求的项目期间，将对开发的原型的性能进行彻底测试，以确定植物挥发物和农学相关化合物、药品以及藻类中的碳氢化合物的能力，这些都是未来生物燃料的重要基础。

Global modernization recently led to the announcement of a fourth industrial revolution resulting in the so-called Industry 4.0. In this development the consumption of energy and resources is minimized resulting in less waste production and eventually in lower production cost. The necessary online monitoring of the product happens via process analysis. While many concepts exist to implement this approach into the high-technology manufacturing processes little to no attention is given on the low-technology sector.While these industries not only build the foundation of many national economies but also supply internationally needed materials (e.g. in agriculture and food processing) they are especially difficult to target with process analysis because of the low financial turnover of the individual product. Up to now most process analysis tools are highly specialized and rely on spezialized personnel. There is a strong demand for widely applicable analytical technologies. The currently most generally applicable analytical tool is mass spectrometry (MS). However, MS instruments are typically highly delicate, heavy and expensive. This proposal suggests a flexible approach to bridge this gap by a modularly composed instrument. In principle there is no upper limit to the number of modules an individual future device can consist of, in the petitioned project we will exemplary design and evaluate i) a laser ablation unit, ii) an ambient ionization unit, iii) an ion mobility separator (IMS) and iv) a mass analyser (MS).The modular approach exhibits several advantages: i) The instruments is Fit for purpose, i.e. the level of sophistication and, thus, the cost can be chosen depending on the sophistication of the problem setting. ii) Subsequent filtering by orthogonal criteria (such as IMS and MS) results in lower demands of the individual filters. Hence, two consecutive low cost analyzers can result in fine resolving capabilities. iii) The individual modular components can be relatively simple. In this way, they can use mass produced parts originally built for other applications (with superior cost efficiency). Since the main actors of the project are non-commercial public institutes, contrary to the multinational companies controlling the market of mass spectrometry equipment currently, we will contribute an instrument design, which reproducible and makes our device accessible as an enabling technology to research groups and end users with low budget. This concept of commons-based peer production - already successful e.g. in knowledge creation (wiki) - is expected to transform the economy by distributed production tools, such as 3D printers. Throughout the requested project period the performance of the developed prototype will be thoroughly tested regarding capability of determining the plant volatiles and agronomically relevant compounds, pharmaceutical products, as well as hydrocarbons from algae, which are an important future basis of biofuels.