Ultrahigh-Throughput Sample Analysis Using Liquid Atmospheric Pressure Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Mass Spectrometry

Background:

• Traditional mass spectrometry (MS) requires labeling/derivatization and is limited in throughput.
• Existing high-performance MS platforms struggle with the speed needed for large-scale analyses.
• Liquid atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (LAP-MALDI) offers potential for rapid sample preparation and analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a significant advancement in high-speed, large-scale MS sample analysis.
• To demonstrate the capabilities of LAP-MALDI for peptide and enzymatic assay analysis.
• To assess the potential of LAP-MALDI for population diagnostics and compound screening.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Liquid Atmospheric Pressure Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (LAP-MALDI) mass spectrometry.
• Employed microtiter-plate formats for automated sample handling.
• Performed high-speed MS and MS/MS analyses on peptide samples and enzymatic assays.

Main Results:

• Achieved peptide analysis speeds of 20 samples/s and enzymatic assay analysis at 40 samples/s.
• Demonstrated high-speed MS/MS analysis at approximately 10 samples/s.
• Maintained high ion signal stability with coefficients of variation (CVs) below 10%.

Conclusions:

• LAP-MALDI represents a step change in MS analysis speed, an order of magnitude faster than current platforms.
• The method requires minimal sample volume (<2 μL) with low consumption (<1%).
• LAP-MALDI MS meets the speed requirements for analyzing over 1 million samples per day for diagnostics and screening.