Being completely confident that I have not undercooked my meat dishes (or made my dinner guests sick) has never been my forte. Not too long ago, I discovered a multi-use programmable pressure cooker. With the press of a button, the pressure cooker monitors pressure, temperature, time and heating intensity so my meats cook to precise perfection. Not to mention, it can be used as a slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker and steamer…. replacing multiple appliances, decreasing maintenance costs of these appliances and creating space in my kitchen!Similarly, the Thermo Scientific VeriSpray PaperSpray ion source enables non-chromatography users to realize the benefits of triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (MS). Direct MS-based ionization of complex sample matrices spotted on a paper using the VeriSpray ion source offers three key benefits:
1. Lowers cost per test
The VeriSpray ion source eliminates the need to perform time consuming sample preparation (e.g. derivatization) and chromatographic separation steps. Thus, chromatography instrument maintenance costs are eliminated. Additionally, this capability opens the door for non-LC experts to obtain the specificity and sensitivity they need for their analyses with MS-based tests. Hint: bring those tests back in-house! In comparison to LC instruments, the VeriSpray ion source also uses much less solvent which can help lower cost per tests.
2. Reduces sample turnaround prior to MS analysis
The VeriSpray ion source runs up to 240 samples unattended. Results can be obtained in less than two minutes, with no concern about LC instrument downtime. For laboratories who want to automate the sample spotting step, the sample plates are compatible with robotic spotters. Integration with Laboratory Information systems (LIS) is possible with plate loader barcode reading capabilities as well.
3. Seamless Data Acquisitions and Processing
The TSQ Series II ICSW 3.2 Tune editor is used to control the VeriSpray ion source and provides pre-defined method templates for workflows. The VeriSpray data acquisition software is fully integrated into the instrument data acquisition software Thermo Scientific Xcalibur 4.2 SP1 to maximize productivity
At this point, you are probably wondering how the VeriSpray ion source works. The sampling process is easy and straightforward. The user simply adds the sample and solvent to the paper cartridge and loads it into the system. Figure 1 below illustrates the details of the direct sampling process for the VeriSpray ion source.
[caption id="attachment_20804" align="alignnone" width="975"]
Click to enlarge[/caption]To learn more about the VeriSpray ion source, there is a video on the VeriSpray ion source web page that offers a more detailed explanation of how the VeriSpray ion source works.
Thermo Fisher Scientific
United States
