Application ideas

Handheld Mass Spectrometry Probes

SPion Inlet™ can be used as a handheld probe that can be freely moved in three-dimensional space to reach samples of interest for analysis. In applications where the sample under test is large and immobile, for example, a patient on a surgical bed or a museum object. This configuration is also useful when physical or operational constraints require physically locating the mass spectrometer at a distance from samples, for example, in stand-off detection, luggage and cargo screening, or real-time inline monitoring of manufacturing lines or reaction chambers.

Multimodal Imaging Stations

SPion Inlet™ can be mounted on a 3D robotic stage for computer programmed mass spectrometry imaging at atmospheric pressure. SPion System™ provides ample space for integrating various ionization sources and accessories, such as cameras and light sources. The scan area can be easily scaled to support scanning of larger surface areas by increasing the scan size of the robotic stage. SPion Inlet™ can be modified upon request for reduced pressure mass spectrometry imaging to provide increased sensitivity. With the extra space provided around the imaging station, size will not be a constraint in designing and constructing advanced imaging stations, and therefore, additional imaging modalities, such as fluorescence imaging, can be easily added for visualizing dynamic biological processes in real time.

Sample Preparation Product Suites

The flexibility offered by SPion Tube™ permits SPion Inlet™ to be pointed in any arbitrary direction, including perpendicular to a horizontal surface, thus allowing vertical integration of SPion Inlet™ into autosamplers and pipetting stations.  When integrated into an autosampler, SPion System™ allows direct infusion mass spectrometry analysis straight from microplates (e.g., 96, 384 and 1536 well-plates),  microcentrifuge tubes, or similar sample containers, which are always handled horizontally.

Direct infusion mass spectrometry analysis straight from sample containers reduces the amount of sample consumption per analysis, and eliminates the need for slow microfluidic transfer of samples to mass spectrometer, thereby, preventing potential carryover issues and speeding up the analysis. Speed of analysis in this configuration is determined by the speed at which the sample and SPion Inlet™ can travel with respect to each other. This speed is much faster than that of microfluidic flow.

The increased analysis speed combined with reduced sample consumption make SPion System™ particularly appropriate for use in single-cell mass spectrometry. With SPion System™, it is also possible to store living-cell-containing microplates in an incubator while conducting an analysis to continuously preserve cell culture conditions.