Micromass UK Limited

A method is disclosed comprising providing a biological sample on a swab, directing a spray of charged droplets onto a surface of the swab in order to generate a plurality of analyte ions, and analysing the analyte ions.

A method of newborn screening (“NBS”) is disclosed comprising directing ultrasonic energy or ultrasonic waves into a metabolite or analyte sample derived from a newborn, neonate or infant so as to cause a mist of charged sample droplets or sample ions to be ejected. The charged sample droplets or sample ions are then mass analysed and a determination is made as to whether or not one or more first metabolites or analytes indicative of a disorder or inborn error are present in the sample.

A method of mass and/or ion mobility spectrometry comprising: providing an ion guide comprising a plurality of electrodes and having a background gas therein; applying an RF voltage to electrodes of the ion guide for radially confining ions therein; transmitting clusters of analyte ions and adduct species into the ion guide; applying, in a first mode, one or more AC voltage to the ion guide so as to oscillate the clusters such that they collide with molecules of the background gas and cause adduct species in the clusters to detach from the analyte ions, wherein the one or more AC voltage has a different amplitude and/or frequency to that of said RF voltage; and (i) varying the speed with which the clusters are urged along the ion guide during the first mode; and/or (ii) varying the amplitude and/or frequency of the one or more AC voltage as the clusters travel along the ion guide.

An ion source is disclosed that comprises a positioning assembly that can position a sprayer with respect to an ion inlet. The ion source includes a first imaging device that can provide a first view of a position of the sprayer with respect to the ion inlet, and a second imaging device that can provide a second, different view of a position of the sprayer with respect to the ion inlet. The second view has a higher magnification than the first view.

An analytical instrument is disclosed that comprises an ion source having a sprayer that generates a spray within an enclosure. A gas flow system causes a flow of gas through the enclosure, filters sample from the flow of gas, and senses a flow rate of the flow of gas. A controller controls the gas flow system and/or the sprayer based on the sensed flow rate.

A method of analysing a sample comprises analysing a sample in a first mode of operation so as to produce a spatially resolved data set representative of the sample, and analysing the data set so as to identify one or more regions of the sample. For each of one or more identified regions of the sample, a tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) data set is produced for that region by determining a path through the region, and analysing the sample along the path using Desorption Electrospray Ionisation (“DESI”) in a tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) mode of operation.

Disclosed herein is a method of analysing a tissue sample. The method comprises identifying one or more regions of interest within the tissue sample based on a tissue stain that has been applied to the tissue sample. Analyte material is then generated from the one or more regions of interest identified based on the tissue stain using a direct surface sampling probe ( 10 ), which analyte material is then received at a sampling inlet ( 30 ) and passed towards a mass and/or ion mobility spectrometer ( 50 ) for analysis.

The present technology relates to a method and instrument for quantifying and classifying a sample. The method collects raw data from an analytical instrument (e.g., LC-MS), determines statistical distances from a data distribution center for chromatographic peak features and/or MRM transition data, and ranks each chromatogram based on the determined statistical distances. The ranked chromatograms can be sorted to facilitate review of the chromatograms to exclude data that

A charge detection mass spectrometry (CDMS) device comprising: an ion trap for receiving an ion flux and configured for selectively trapping and analysing one or more ions of interest from the ion flux, and at least one primary charge detector. positioned upstream of the ion trap in the path of the ion flux, to analyse the ion flux, wherein the device is configured such that the analysis by the at least one primary charge detector is used to selectively initiate an ion trapping event in the ion trap.

Disclosed herein is a method of processing mass spectral data comprising making direct calibration measurements to determine a calibration shift of the mass spectrometry instrument at a calibration time and determining a set of intrinsic ion species that persist across multiple acquisition periods. The direct calibration measurements are then used together with an expected variation in calibration shift as well as the set of intrinsic ion species to calculate the calibration shift of the mass spectrometry instrument at one or more time point(s) of interest other than the calibration time.