Georgia Tech researchers have created the Scanning Mass Spectrometry (SMS) probe, which can capture both the biochemical makeup and topography of complex biological objects in real time and in their normal environment.

It opens the door for discovery of new biomarkers and improved gene studies, leading to better disease diagnosis and drug design on the cellular level.

The SMS probe offers the capability to gently pull biomolecules (proteins, metabolites, peptides) precisely at a specific point on the cell/tissue surface, ionize these biomolecules and produce “dry” ions suitable for analysis and then transport those ions to a mass spectrometer for identification.

The probe does this dynamically, imaging the surface and mapping cellular activities and communication potentially in real time. In essence, in scanning mode, the SMS probe could create images similar to movies of cell biochemical activities with high spatial and temporal resolution.

The SMS probe can be integrated with the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) or other scanning probes, and can not only image biochemical activity but also monitor the changes in the cell/tissue topology during the imaging.

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology news