Nanomechanics for Proteomics
CIC nanoGUNE Seminars
- Speaker
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Prof. Robert Blick, University of Wisconsin
- When
-
2013/09/30
13:00 - Place
- nanoGUNE seminar room, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, Donostia - San Sebastian
- Add to calendar
-
iCal
Mechanical resonators realized on the nano-scale by now offer applications in
mass-sensing of biomolecules with extraordinary sensitivity. The general idea
is that perfect mechanical biosensors should be of extremely small size to
achieve zepto-gram sensitivity in _weighing_ single molecules similar to a
balance. However, the small scale and long response time of weighing
biomolecules with a cantilever restricts their usefulness as a high-throughput
method. Commercial mass spectrometry (MS), such as electro-spray ionization
(ESI)-MS and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-time of
flight (TOF)-MS are the gold standards to which nanomechanical resonators have
to live up. These two methods rely on the ionization and acceleration of
biomolecules and the following ion detection after a mass selection step, such
as time-of-flight (TOF). Hence, the spectrum is typically represented in
_m/z_ , i.e. the mass to ionization charge ratio. In this presentation I will
describe the feasibility and mass range of detection of a new mechanical
approach for ion detection in time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The principle
of which is that the impinging ion packets excite mechanical oscillations in a
semiconductor nanomembrane. Ion detection is demonstrated in MALDI-TOF
analysis over a broad range with angiotensin, bovine serum albumin (BSA),
equimolar protein mixtures of insulin, BSA, Immunoglobulin G (IgG), and IgM.
We find an unprecedented mass range of operation of the nanomembrane detector.
**Host** : J.I. Pascual