According to findings published in Applied Physics Letters, the device can analyse proteins much faster, more gently and at a lower cost, according to GIT.
The device is a critical component of a mass spectrometer, an instrument that can detect proteins present even in ultra-small concentrations by measuring the relative masses of ionised atoms and molecules. Mass spectrometers can provide a complete protein profile and essentially make proteomics, the study of how proteins are produced and interact within an organ, cell or tissue, possible.
Before the MS can analyse a sample, molecules must first be converted to gas-phase charged ions through electrospray ionisation (ESI), a process that produces ions by evaporating charged droplets obtained through spraying or bubbling.
The new, high-throughput system, called AMUSE (Array of Micromachined Ultra Sonic Electrospray), has several key advantages over currently available electrospray methods. Sample aerosolization and protein charging processes are separated, giving AMUSE the unique ability to operate at low voltages with a wide range of solvents. In addition, AMUSE is a nanoscale ion source and drastically lowers the required sample size by improving sample use.
This innovation will be particularly useful for drug and target screening in the pharmaceutical industry, according to the researchers.
In addition to its ability to handle a much higher number of samples, AMUSE can also be manufactured more cheaply than current ESI devices. Conventional electrospray devices in mass spectrometers generally cost around $150 a unit and must be cleaned after each sample is analysed. AMUSE could be made disposable and mass produced at a few dollars apiece.