Boston-based PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences has released the prOTOF™ 2000, the first commercially available matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometer to feature orthogonal geometry and collisional cooling. The technology, originally developed at the University of Manitoba and sublicensed from instrumentation manufacturer MDS Sciex, offers improved instrument stability, resolution, and mass accuracy over conventional linear or axial-based systems, according to Sandra Rasmussen, business unit leader for proteomics.
Rasmussen explains that in axial systems, differences in the topography of the sample or position of the sample- target plate can translate into mass-accuracy limitations. "Because there's a difference in how the sample is coming off, by the time it gets down to the detector that difference can get amplified," she explains. Orthogonal geometry, in which the MALDI source is at a right angle to the detector, eliminates this problem. "The orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometer allows us to decouple the MALDI ...
