Ionization probe assemblies

• US 9,165,740 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2014
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ibis Biosciences Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: Ibis Biosciences Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Hofstadler, Steven A., Gutierrez, Jose R., Hannis, James C., Drader, Jared J., Bare, Rex O., Smith, Jeffrey C., Gleason, Paul J., Nathanson, Jared
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells, Nikita
• Application Number:
  US14/450,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20150014548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 250/288, 250/281, 250/282, 250/450, 250/425, 850/5, 850/21, 850/33
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6872 involving mass spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/00 Investigating or analysing materials by the use of wave or particle radiation, e.g. X-rays or neutrons, not covered by groups G01N3/00 – G01N17/00, G01N21/00 or G01N22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2812 Checking for open circuits or shorts, e.g. solder bridges; Testing conductivity, resistivity or impedance of connections G01R31/66
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2848 using simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2853 Electrical testing of internal connections or -isolation, e.g. latch-up or chip-to-lead connections G01R31/31717 takes precedence; test of chip-to-PCB or lead-to-PCB connections G01R31/66
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 27/02 Ion sources; Ion guns for examination or processing discharge tubes H01J37/08; ion sources, ion guns for particle spectrometer or separator tubes H01J49/10; ion propulsion F03H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0422 for gaseous samples interfaces to gas chromatographs G01N30/7206
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0431 for liquid samples interfaces to liquid chromatographs G01N30/7233
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/0468 with means for heating or cooling the sample
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/165 Electrospray ionisation

Abstract

The invention relates generally to sample ionization, and provides ionization probe assemblies, systems, computer program products, and methods useful for this purpose.

Claims

1. An ionization probe assembly, comprising:

at least one ion source housing back plate that comprises one or more surfaces that define at least one spray orifice, which ion source housing back plate is configured to operably connect to an ion source housing;

at least one probe support structure coupled to the ion source housing back plate via at least one linear slide;

at least one probe substantially fixedly mounted on the probe support structure; and

,

at least one probe conveyance mechanism operably connected to the probe support structure, which probe conveyance mechanism is configured to convey the probe between at least a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is substantially electrically isolated from the second position.

2. An ionization probe assembly, comprising:

at least one ion source housing back plate that comprises one or more surfaces that define at least one spray orifice, which ion source housing back plate is configured to operably connect to an ion source housing;

at least one probe movably coupled to the ion source housing back plate via at least one pivot mechanism; and

,

at least one probe conveyance mechanism that comprises at least one motor operably connected to the pivot mechanism via a pulley and belt drive assembly, which probe conveyance mechanism is configured to selectively convey the probe between at least a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is substantially electrically isolated from the second position.

3. A method of spraying sample aliquots into an ion source housing of a molecular mass measurement system, the method comprising:

(a) conveying a first probe from a first rinse position to a first spray position of the molecular mass measurement system, wherein the first rinse position and the first spray position are substantially electrically isolated from one another and wherein the first spray position is in fluid communication with the ion source housing;

(b) conveying a second probe from a second spray position to a second rinse position of the molecular mass measurement system, wherein the second spray position and the second rinse position are substantially electrically isolated from one another;

(c) spraying at least a first sample aliquot into the ion source housing via the first probe when the first probe is in the first spray position;

(d) rinsing the second probe when the second probe is in the second rinse position;

(e) conveying the first probe from the first spray position to the first rinse position;

(f) conveying the second probe from the second rinse position to the second spray position, wherein the second spray position is in fluid communication with the ion source housing;

(g) spraying at least a second sample aliquot into the ion source housing of the molecular mass measurement system via the second probe when the second probe is in the second spray position.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising performing (a) substantially simultaneously with (b), (c) substantially simultaneously with (d), and/or (e) substantially simultaneously with (f).

5. The method of claim 3, comprising modulating a temperature of the first probe and/or second probe using at least one thermal modulator operably connected to the first probe and/or second probe.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising ionizing the first sample aliquot and the second sample aliquot when the first sample aliquot and the second sample aliquot are sprayed into the ion source housing.

7. The method of claim 4, comprising measuring a molecular mass of at least one component of the first sample aliquot and/or the second sample aliquot using the molecular mass measurement system.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the component of the first sample aliquot and/or the second sample aliquot comprises at least one nucleic acid molecule and wherein the method comprises determining a base composition of the nucleic acid molecule from the molecular mass of the nucleic acid molecule.

9. The method of claim 4, comprising correlating the base composition of the nucleic acid molecule with an identity or property of the nucleic acid molecule.