The open SprayBot: A high-throughput paper spray mass spectrometry platform for disease screening
Artículo
Te invitamos a leer el artículo "The open SprayBot: A high-throughput paper spray mass spectrometry platform for disease screening" publicado en HardwareX, a cargo del profesor investigador Dr. Robert Winkler y su equipo de trabajo de la UGA.
Autores: Nancy Shyrley García-Rojas / Héctor Guillén-Alonso / Scott MacKay / Claudia Torres-Calzada / Leonardo Daniel Soto-Rodriguez / Robert Winkler / David S. Wishart
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Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (Cinvestav)
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Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (UGA), Irapuato, Mexico
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Department of Biochemical Engineering, National Technological Institute, Celaya, Mexico
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Department of Biological Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Felicitamos al estudiantado y profesorado que contribuyeron en esta investigación por su arduo trabajo.
Abstract:
Newborn disease screening increases survival, improves quality of life and reduces treatment costs for healthcare systems. Mass spectrometry (MS) is an effective method for metabolic screening. However, conventional analytical methods require biofluid handling and cooling conditions during transport, making the logistics difficult and expensive, especially for remote regions. ’Paper-spray’ (PS) ionization generates a charged solvent spray from samples deposited on paper strips. Therefore, samples can be applied on a suitable matrix and shipped as dried spots to diagnostic laboratories with standard postal or messenger services. We built a robotic platform, the ’Open SprayBot’, to automatically analyze paper-deposited samples via PS-MS and increase the sample throughput. The system is operated via RUMBA32 and Arduino Mega boards. A commercial syringe pump and power supply provide solvent application and electrical current required for PS-MS. The usability of the Open SprayBot was demonstrated by quantifying palmitoyl-l-carnitine, a common biomarker in newborn screening.