Microsaic Systems announced the launch of the advanced 4000 MiD™ Mass Spectrometer at the recently concluded Pittcon 2014 Conference in Chicago.  By integrating key MS technologies into MEMS chip technology, it is possibly the smallest and the most advanced MS device until now. This breakthrough allows use of MS in any laboratory setting, thanks to its small size, low cost, ease of use, integration and maintenance.

Traditionally bulky, costly and complex MS technology meant that this technology was kept out of reach of most laboratories. By contrast, the 4000 MiD™ can be placed in a bench or fume hood, allowing for automated sampling, dilution and injection for direct MS analysis. It is cheaper than conventional MS as it has fewer components, and is easy to be maintained. The device has been successfully tested for on-line reaction and batch monitoring, as well as HPLC-MS. It can also be teamed with the new MiDas™ interface unit and software for real-time automated sampling, dilution and injection.

The continued miniaturization of MS could open up is uses in new markets such as quality control, fuel contamination or food safety. A very serious competitor to 4000 MiD™ is being developed at the 908 headquarters. Their biggest asset is a molecular trap a thousand times smaller than that of conventional mass spectrometers, which will allow them to design handheld mass spectrometers and take them out of the laboratory and into the fields where they are really required.

Others manufacturers such as 1^st Detect, Waters and Thermo Scientific have all entered the small/medium sized MS market (see table below for the main specifications) and the competition is predictably going to grow in this segment.

It is always a pain to analyse blood based matrix samples using LC-MS/MS as the plasma proteins and phospholipids in sample causes ion suppression. Biotage has come with a solution for this issue by launching a protein and phospholipid removal plate, ISOLUTE PLD+ for clean-up of such samples.

The new ISOLUTE PLD+ offers a very simple and effective sample clean-up for LC-MS/MS analysis in a single product. These plates have a scavenging sorbent layer that removes phospholipids during the filtration step. These plates, available in standard SBS/ANSI 96 well plate format are capable of processing sample volumes of 100 to 200 microliters and they can remove more than 99 percent of plasma proteins and phospholipids.

Removal of phospholipids prevents it from building up in the analytical column, thereby increasing its life and maintaining analyte sensitivity over extended analytical runs. This results in cleaner extracts and increased signal to noise ratio and sensitivity for a wide range of analytes. Biotage ISOLUTE PLD+ can be easily integrated into the routine workflow in no time without any method development and the purified samples can be analysed directly without any further processing. These ISOLUTE PLD+ plates are compatible with positive pressure manifolds, vacuum manifolds and also automated liquid handling systems that can handle 96 well format.

Source: Biotage