US Patent 6,580,071. Method for calibrating a mass spectrometer. Inventors: Scot Weinberger, Edward Gavin, Michael Youngquist. Assignee: Ciphergen Biosystems.
Covers a method for calibrating a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Time-of-flight values are determined for a calibration substance at different addressable locations on a sample substrate. One of these locations is then identified as a reference location. After that, correction factors are calculated for the respective locations on the substrate using the time-of-flight value.
US Patent 6,579,721. Biosensing using surface plasmon resonance. Inventors: Michael Natan, David Pena, Glenn Goodrich, Lin He, Andrew Lyon, Michael Musick, William Holliway. US Patent 6,579,726. Instruments, methods, and reagents for surface plasmon resonance. Inventors: Michael Natan, Glenn Goodrich, Lin He, Andrew Lyon, Michael Musick, Christine Keating. Assignee for both patents: SurroMed.
Both patents provides methods and reagents for the enhancement of surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based detection assays. The methods and reagents can be used in any molecular recognition assay that uses a solid support. The inventions also provides an SPR instrument that operates in imaging mode.
US Patent 6,579,719. Retentate chromatography and protein chip arrays with applications in biology and medicine. Inventors: William Hutchens, Tai-Tung Yip. Assignee: Ciphergen Biosystems.
Provides methods of retentate chromatography for resolving analytes in a sample. Analytes are first separated in at least two different first dimensions based on their ability to be adsorbed to a stationary phase under at least two different selectivity conditions. Then the analytes are separated in a second dimension based on mass by desorption spectrometry. The nature of the adsorbent to which the analytes adsorb provides physico-chemical information about the analyte.
US Patent 6,576,895. Coaxial multiple reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Inventor: Melvin Park. Assignee: Bruker Daltonics.
Covers an improved method and apparatus for analyzing ions using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. This comprises two or more electrostatic reflectors positioned coaxially with respect to one another such that ions generated by an ion source can be reflected back and forth between them. At the end of the ion analysis, either of the reflecting devices is rapidly deenergized to allow the ions to pass through that device and into a detector.
US Patent 6,576,478. Microdevices for high-throughput screening of biomolecules. Inventors: Peter Wagner, Dana Ault-Riche, Steffen Nock, Christian Itin. Assignee: Zyomyx.
Protects devices for the parallel, in vitro screening of biomolecular activity using miniaturized microfabricated devices. The biomolecules that can be immobilized on the surface of the devices include proteins, polypeptides, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, phospolipids, and related unnatural polymers. These devices are preferably used for the parallel screening of families of related proteins.
US Patent 6,573,495. High capacity ion cyclotron resonance cell. Inventor: Michael Senko. Assignee: Thermo Finnigan (now Thermo Electron).
Covers an ion cyclotron resonance cell with a large ion trapping volume. The cell includes elongated spaced concentric electrodes with a common axis in which the trapping volume is the space between the electrodes. The cell may also include trapping electrodes disposed at the ends of the elongated concentric electrodes.
US Patent 6,570,153. Tandem mass spectrometry using a single quadrupole mass analyzer. Inventors: Gangang Li, Hongfeng Yin. Assignee: Agilent Technologies.
Provides apparatus and methods for conducting tandem mass spectrometry using a single quadrupole mass analyzer. Charged particles from a source are directed into the quadrupole to select them by their mass-to-charge ratio. They are then directed to a zone adjacent to the mass analyzer to subject selected particles to collisional forces to form fragments, which are temporarily stored in the zone. To separate the fragments, they are directed into the quadrupole in a direction opposite to that of the charged particles introduced from the source.
US Patent 6,570,152. Time of flight mass spectrometer with selectable drift length. Inventor: John Brian Hoyes. Assignee: Micromass (now Waters).
Protects a time of flight mass analyzer with a drift region, an ion package generator, first and second ion reflectors, and at least one ion detector. The drift region provides a place wherein ions may be temporarily separated. The ion package generator injects packets of ions into the drift region from an ion beam by intermittently applying an electrostatic field. The first ion reflector is disposed at the exit of the drift region to reflect back ions which are traveling towards the reflector. The second ion reflector reflects packets of ions back towards the first so that the packet of ions may undergo a number of reflections. A detector can detect at least some packets of ions that are reflected by the first reflector but do not enter the second.