Georgia Tech’s SMS Probe gently pulls biomolecules precisely at a specific point on the cell/tissue surface, ionizes these biomolecules and produces “dry” ions suitable for analysis and then transports those ions to the mass spectrometer.
Source: Nano Probe May Open New Window Into Cell Behavior, Georgia Institute of Technology
“At its core, disease is a disruption of normal cell signaling,” said Dr. Andrei Fedorov, a professor in Georgia Tech’s Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and lead researcher on the project. “So, if one understands the network and all signals on the most fundamental level, one would be able to control and correct them if needed. The SMS probe can help map all those complex and intricate cellular communication pathways by probing cell activities in the natural cellular environment.”
