Technology

"Methods to concentrate sample spots on targets improve detection."
MDS's Sciex's Tom Covey et al, JASMS, 2006, 17,1129-1141.

"Reducing noise is an important challenge to gain a better analysis of MW of entire protein."
G. Bolbach, et al., JASMS, 2007, 18, 1880-1890.

Induction Based Fluidics (IBF)

Nanoliter devices use IBF to dispense, treat, purify or chromatograph liquids. In IBF, liquids are charged which launches them to targets of all types (e.g., MALDI plates, humans, microscope slides, TLC or microtiter plates, food, evidence, IR and other spectroscopy cells, DART's, DESI's or MS's). The liquid drops fly directed to locales where they can be measured on arrival, like ions in mass spectrometers. IBF is a new, simple way to transport & treat liquids for many purposes.

IBF is a simple way to move (or move and treat) liquids. In IBF, one imparts a charge to liquids so they can be energized such that they will be launched or projected to targets of diverse types using simple devices; such as, syringes or alternatively in more complicated embodiments.

In IBF, liquids are charged and that action allows for the performance of many simple, useful tasks including flying nanoliter and microliter quantities of liquids, non-touch to targets of all types; such as, humans; plants; animals; microscope slides; multiple-well plates; scientific instruments and other devices. Through the presentation of the physics of IBF, it has been shown that unlike piezoelectric, sound, or any other technologies that are applied to transport liquids at low volumes that IBF technology can 1) kinetically project drops to targets of all types, 2) dynamically direct the liquids in flight to targets (a required, trait for small volumes of liquids) and details depending 3) count them on arrival. This simple technology has been called “elegant” by the director of R&D of a major mass spectrometry firm.

The nanoliter regime offers a number of obvious benefits over larger volume regimes in the lab and elsewhere. These include significant savings in expensive reagents, major reduction in human exposure to toxic chemicals, allergens, agents, viruses, etc. The nanoliter regime also reduces waste disposal costs. Because IBF has a massive dynamic range (µL to fL), it has a substantial application space. It is a useful laboratory tool that has broad applications elsewhere. For example, IBF can be used for simple sample dilution; the analysis of proteins, peptides and synthetic polymers by MALDI; other sample preparation in chemical analysis; drug delivery; drug discovery; radiochemistry; homeland security/defense applications; forensics; the sampling of or drug delivery to human beings; in medical diagnostics; and in the manufacture of unique chemical and other entities, e.g., polymers and electrets. Finally, IBF also allows non-touch dispensing in the microliter regime as well for more classical assays, and it also has interesting consumer applications, e.g., gluing.

01/09: "Measuring Charge for the Real Time Induction Based Fluidic MALDI Dispense Event Verification and Nanoliter Volume Determination."

12/08: "Electric Field Enhanced Crystallization for synthetic polymer MALDI-TOF Mass Spectroscopy via Induction Based Fluidics."

08/08: Improving MALDI Sensitivity Using Induction Based Fluidics, JASMS August 2008 publication.

Is The Dried Droplet Method science?