HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGING MASS SPECTROMETRY

• US 20170084435A1
• Filed: 09/16/2016
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baylor University
• Original Assignee: Baylor University
• Inventors: Solouki, Touradj
• Granted Patent: US 10,643,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0004 Imaging particle spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0463 Desorption by laser or particle beam, followed by ionisation as a separate step sample holder per se H01J49/0418
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/105 using high-frequency excitation, e.g. microwave excitation, Inductively Coupled Plasma [ICP]

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for mass spectrometry imaging in a multi-stage ionization applying different technologies by decoupling the desorption and ionization events. At a first stage, a primary beam, such as an ion beam, desorbs one or more molecules of a targeted sample, and at a second stage the desorbed molecules are ionized. The system and method can act independent of a matrix application to the target sample for a direct analysis and has the spatial resolution needed to operate in nano-meters resolution for a cell-by-cell analysis, if desired. The first stage desorption applies a first technique that allows neutral molecules of the target sample to become desorbed from the surface without requiring the molecules to be ionized during the desorption. The second stage ionizes the neutral molecules after the desorption in the first stage, when the defined target molecules have been volatilized.

Claims

1. A system for mass spectrometry, comprising:

a desorption beam configured to desorb neutral molecules from a target of a material; and

an ionization source configured to ionize at least a portion of the neutral molecules after desorption from the target of the material to form ionized molecules, the ionization source being a radiofrequency ionization (“

RFI”

) source.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the desorption beam comprises an on beam.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the desorption beam comprises a laser photon beam.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mass spectrometer configured to receive the ionized molecules.

5. A method of imaging a target molecule with a mass spectrometer, comprising:

desorbing one or more neutral molecules from a target of a material; and

ionizing at least a portion of the neutral molecules into ionized molecules with a radiofrequency ionization (“

RFI”

) source after the desorbing of the neutral molecules.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein desorbing the neutral molecules comprises desorbing with an ion beam.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein desorbing the neutral molecules comprises desorbing with a laser photon beam.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising analyzing at least a portion of the ionized molecules passing through a magnetic field.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising analyzing at least a portion of the ionized molecules independent of a magnetic field.