Electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS), in which peptides are ionized as they elute from a liquid chromatography (LC) column, typically requires high flow rates, which reduces sensitivity and consumes large quantities of sample. Nanoelectrospray techniques for proteomics are more efficient, but can be labor-intensive and time-consuming.
To make the process more practical for high-throughput experiments, Ithaca, NY-based Advion BioSciences recently introduced the NanoMate™ 100, an automated nanoelectrospray system that interfaces directly with most commercially available ESI-based mass spectrometers. The system uses ESI Chips™, arrays of 100 nozzles that ionize samples individually and infuse them directly into the mass spectrometer. These arrays are disposable and each sample travels through a separate nozzle, completely eliminating cross-contamination. Samples are aspirated from 96-well plates via pipette tips that seal against the nozzle inlets on the back of the chip; any unused sample can be returned to the plate.
Tom Kurz, chief operating officer, ...
