Unshackling The Gold Standard

 

Tue, 11/11/2014 - 9:09am

Chris Petty, VP of Business Development, 908 Devices

 

Image: 908 Devices

Demand for mass spectrometry continues to rise. According to a recent Marketsandmarkets report, the global mass spectrometry market is expected to reach $5.9 billion by 2018. That’s a healthy compounded annual growth rate of 8.7%. Since its earliest demonstration more than 100 years ago, this analytical technique has become known as the “gold standard” of chemical analysis and can be found in virtually every laboratory around the globe performing a broad range of chemical analyses. Mass spectrometry uniquely combines high sensitivity and excellent selectivity to make it suitable for myriad applications across the life sciences, safety and security, environmental and energy sectors, to name a few. This breadth of utility drives much interest in unshackling mass spec from the laboratory.

The evolution of the mass spectrometer to more powerful systems with ever-increasing sensitivity and dizzying resolving capability—the horse power race if you will—should continue to unlock scientific discovery for years to come. Here however, we consider an orthogonal direction in development—portable devices that can bring analysis to the point of need. In considering this evolutionary path we see a strong influence from both miniaturization and consumerization trends.

As the mass spec community is able to achieve true portability—learning from the consumer world with the development of handheld smart devices that provide answers-on-the-go, chemical analysis will be dramatically changed.

Mass spectrometry: Yesterday and today
In the analytical sciences there’s a common image of using mass spectrometry: researchers in white coats analyzing spectra generated by a machine the size of a refrigerator. Because conventional mass spectrometers operate under extreme vacuum, they’re coupled with large pumps that are expensive, bulky, power hungry and extremely fragile. Together, the size, cost and fragility of conventional systems traditionally limited mass spectrometry to laboratory use. These powerhouse systems are designed to accommodate a wide variety of often-disparate needs, and this flexibility adds complexity in both operation and maintenance.

Several groups have explored hardening and form factor alterations to bring mass spec out of the central laboratory. Today’s transportable instruments, such as Agilent’s 5975T, still have the size and weight of laboratory systems (around 150 lbs), but are sufficiently hardened to be movable. While these systems remain relatively fragile and complex to use, they’re deployed in a range of mobile laboratories.

A few person-portable systems, or “luggables” as they are often referred, have been introduced within the last 20 years, enabling some mass spec analysis in the field. Considering successive generations of Inficon’s Hapsite instrument, first introduced in the mid-90s, or more recent offerings from Torion, it’s apparent that improvement to the form factor of luggable systems has currently plateaued around the size of a small suitcase, weighing roughly 35 lbs or more.

The introduction of these luggable mass spec systems was an undeniable step forward and an important demonstration of demand for analysis in the field. However, widespread adoption is still limited by the remaining complexity and relative fragility of these iterations. It’s illustrative to consider other analytical techniques such as XRF, Raman and FTIR, each of which initially escaped the laboratory in luggable form factors, but ultimately gained broad adoption with the rugged, purpose-built handheld systems we see in field applications today.

The development of truly handheld mass spectrometry tools will have even more significant impact.

Consumerization and tiny new tools
Thanks to the evolution of consumer-driven mobile technology, we’ve all become accustomed to accessing data and answers immediately. More subtly, advances in ergonomic design and user interface construction are driven by the need to put complex technologies in the hands of consumers, which has influenced the expectation that technology should provide answers at the push of a button.

This consumer culture shift has contributed to a new wave of analytical instrumentation that has changed the course for many established industries.

Within the past few decades there has been remarkable growth in the demand for purpose-built and user-centric analytical tools. The introduction of handheld XRF, Raman, NIR and FTIR technologies created a paradigm shift in diverse applications from safety and security to mining and metals analysis. These disruptive developments haven’t only changed the way in which materials are analyzed, they have redefined the capabilities of the non-technical user. These advanced technologies have been packaged in handheld form factors weighing less than 5 lbs and performing very specific jobs for users with no interest in knowing how analytical instruments work or what’s happening inside. They simply have a job to get done and want answers.

Until recently, mass spec has yet to join the ranks of this handheld analytical revolution. It has taken technology breakthroughs and a new approach to mass spec implementation to make the leap to truly handheld operation. A new technique called high-pressure mass spectrometry (HPMS), commercialized by Boston-based 908 Devices, is powering mass spec tools that are handheld, battery operated and purpose built for specific applications. HPMS not only allows for several key components of the mass spectrometer to be miniaturized, it also removes the need for large, cumbersome vacuum pumps that limit conventional mass spec approaches.

The future: What’s next?
While transportable and luggable systems have moved mass spectrometry out of the central laboratory, they’re analogous to early computers or the first mobile phones: remarkable as initial breakthroughs, but still too large, expensive, slow and fragile for true widespread adoption. Present-day consumer expectations for mobile technology do indeed set the bar for an analytical industry that strives to provide answers when and where they’re needed. Today’s portable analytical tools need to go beyond simply being small; they must be accessible and usable by anyone regardless of education or skill level and provide trusted answers in real time.

Looking ahead, the future of mass spec is bright. In parallel with advances in traditional laboratory systems, developments such as HPMS and miniaturization will see the gold standard liberated from the laboratory and continuing to evolve from complicated to common.

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