Single Cell Chromatography, LDRD Feasibility Study

Knize, M G ; Bailey, C G

关键词: ATOMS;    BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS;    CHROMATOGRAPHY;    DETECTION;    ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES;    ION BEAMS;    LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY;    MASS SPECTROMETERS;    MASS SPECTROSCOPY;    MINUS-PLUS RATIO;    SAMPLE PREPARATI;   

DOI  :  10.2172/902253
RP-ID  :  UCRL-TR-228365
PID  :  OSTI ID: 902253
Others  :  TRN: US200717%%505

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

A limitation in the mass spectrometry of biological materials is the reduced ion formation caused by sample complexity. We proposed to develop an enabling technology, single cell planar chromatography, which will greatly increase the amount of chemical information that can be obtained from single biological cells when using imaging mass spectrometry or other surface analysis methods. The sample preparation methods were developed for the time-of-flight secondary mass spectrometer (ToF-SIMS) at LLNL. This instrument has a measured zeptomole (10{sup -21} mole, 600 atoms) limit-of-detection for a molecule with a mass to charge ratio of 225[1]. Our goal was to use planar chromatographic separation to approach similar low limits of detection even with the chemically complex contents of a single cell. The process was proposed to reduce ion suppression and at the same time expose more of the cell contents to the ion beam. The method of work was to deposit biological cells on a silicon chip with suitable chromatographic and electrical properties, dissolve the cell with a droplet of solvent, allow the solvent to evaporate, and then allow the movement of cell contents laterally by immersing an edge of the chip in to a chromatographic solvent, that then moves through the chromatographic matrix allowing the components to interact with, and be separated by, the chromatographic substrate. This process is a miniaturized version of thin layer chromatography with detection by surface mass spectrometry.