A break through Mass Spectrometry device was released to the public in the November Journal of ”Analytical Chemistry”. This innovative invention is the first of its kind capable of measuring positive and negative molecular ions simultaneously. The research was done by Dr. Yi-Sheng Wang and team members from the Key Technology Division of Genomics Research Center at Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

While Mass Spectrometry has been an important tool in analyzing materials in the molecule level nowadays, it has the limitation of identifying only single polarity at one time. This presents a loophole when using Mass Spectrometry in analyzing biomolecules. Currently, in able to do a complete analysis, repeating the process twice is a must. Yet still, unknown mechanism of molecular ionization lies as a barrier for Mass Spectrometry to be fully reliable as biological analysis tools.

Based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), Wang’s dual-polarity time-of-flight mass spectrometer successfully obtained mass spectra of various proteins with molecular weights as large as that of myoglobin monomer and dimer. This instrument comprises two identical time-of-flight mass analyzers located symmetrically about a MALDI ion source. The ion optics are arranged to be able to extract positive and negative ions synchronously with equal efficiency to each corresponding mass analyzer.

It is effective in reducing the mass analysis effort to half of its current practice, and better yet, it provides a great potential for studying the ionization mechanisms of biomolecules. Analyses like the diagnosis of disease in physiological fluids, the examination of protein profile from biological tissues, can all benefit from this invention.

According to Wang, the patent application of this invention has already been processed, and the Academia Sinica is willing to transfer this technology to interested parties aiming at the high-end of Biomedical equipment industry.