A tool that provides world-class microscopy and spatially resolved chemical analysis shows considerable promise for advancing a number of areas of study, including chemical science, pharmaceutical development and disease progression.
The hybrid optical microscope/mass spectrometry-based imaging system developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory operates under ambient conditions and requires no pretreatment of samples to analyze chemical compounds with sub-micron resolution. One micron is equal to about 1/100th the width of a human hair. Results of the work by postdoctoral associate Jack Cahill and Gary Van Berkel and Vilmos Kertesz of ORNL’s Chemical Sciences Division are detailed in Analytical Chemistry.
“Knowing the chemical basis of material interactions that take place at interfaces is vital for designing and advancing new functional materials that are important for DOE missions such as organic photovoltaics for solar energy,” Van Berkel said. “In addition, the new tool can be used to better understand the chemical basis of important biological processes such as drug transport, disease progression and response for treatment.”
The hybrid instrument transfers tiny amounts of a material such as human tissue or an organic polymer from a sample by a laser ablation process in which material is captured and transported via liquid stream to the ionization source of the mass spectrometer. In just seconds, a computer screen displays the results.
Researchers noted that the resolution of less than one micron is essential to accurately differentiate and distinguish between polymers and sub-components of similar-sized cells.
“Today’s mass spectrometry imaging techniques are not yet up to the task of reliably acquiring molecular information on a wide range of compound types,” Cahill said. “Examples include synthetic polymers used in various functional materials like light harvesting and emitting devices or biopolymers like cellulose in plants or proteins in animal tissue.”
This technology, however, provides the long-sought detailed chemical analysis through a simple interface between a hybrid optical microscope and an electrospray ionization system for mass spectrometry.
Read more: New ORNL device combines power of mass spectrometry, microscopy
The Latest on: Microscopy
[google_news title=”” keyword=”microscopy” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Microscopy
- Global Photoacoustic Microscopy Market Projected to Reach USD 490 Million by 2032on May 12, 2024 at 6:16 pm
The global photoacoustic microscopy market is poised for significant growth, with an anticipated revenue projection of approximately USD 490 million by 2032. This projection signifies a substantial ...
- Automated Microscopy Market is expected to Double Its Size by Upcoming Yearson May 12, 2024 at 3:16 pm
Global Automated Microscopy Market is valued at approximately USD 7.1 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 6.4% during the forecast period 2023-2030. An ...
- High-speed atomic force microscopy helps explain role played by certain biomolecules in DNA wrapping dynamicson May 10, 2024 at 8:37 am
A nucleosome consists of a segment of DNA wound around eight proteins known as histones. During gene expression (the process lying at the basis of protein production), nucleosomes are ...
- Automated Microscopy Market Future Revenues to Take Flight as Market Size Continues to Expandon May 9, 2024 at 3:39 pm
The global automated microscopy market, valued at approximately USD 7.1 billion in 2022, is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 6.4% from 2023 to 2030. Read the ...
- Human Brain at Nanoscale Resolution Revealedon May 9, 2024 at 2:20 pm
The researchers employed volume electron microscopy (EM), which allowed for reconstructing every cellular component and synapse. | Neuroscience ...
- Microscopic Brain Tissue Map Reveals Vast Neural Networkson May 9, 2024 at 11:24 am
Researchers created the largest 3D reconstruction of human brain tissue at synaptic resolution, capturing detailed images of a cubic millimeter of human temporal cortex.
- Study introduces hyperspectral dark-field microscopy for rapid and accurate identification of cancerous tissueson May 9, 2024 at 7:38 am
Breast-conserving surgery (BCS), also called lumpectomy, involves the removal of a cancerous lump and some surrounding tissue. BCS is suitable for women with early-stage breast cancer or small lumps, ...
- Workshop Explores Breakthroughs In Electron Microscopyon May 6, 2024 at 12:04 am
Under the leadership of Dr. Noora Al Qahtani, the Central Laboratories Unit at Qatar University, in collaboration ...
- Visualizing centriole genesis with microscopy and kinematic reconstruction techniqueson April 11, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have combined high-resolution microscopy and kinematic reconstruction techniques to visualize, in motion, the genesis of the human centriole.
- Center for Advanced Microscopy and Imagingon August 24, 2023 at 4:45 pm
The Center for Advanced Microscopy and Imaging (CAMI) is an all-university research, teaching, and service facility located in Upham Hall on Miami University's main campus, in Oxford, Ohio. CAMI ...
via Bing News