Elemental flow cytometer

Abstract

An elemental flow cytometer includes a device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize material and an introduction system for introducing packets of discrete entities into said device to vaporize, atomize and ionize materials to vaporize, atomize and ionize the entities in the packets. A spectrometer is adapted to individually analyze elemental composition of one or more of the vaporized, atomized and excited or ionized packets.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An elemental flow cytometer, comprising:
 a device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize material;   an introduction system for introducing packets of discrete entities into said device to vaporize, atomize and ionize materials to vaporize, atomize and ionize the entities in the packets; and   a spectrometer adapted to individually analyze elemental composition of one or more of the vaporized, atomized and excited or ionized packets.   
     
     
         2 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the introduction system comprises a laser ablation system. 
     
     
         3 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 2  wherein the laser ablation system is adapted to produce said packets by directing laser pulses toward samples and thereby producing discrete entities of ablated material to form the packets. 
     
     
         4 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the introduction system comprises an in-line lysis system. 
     
     
         5 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 4  wherein the in-line lysis system is adapted to produce said packets of discrete entities by rupturing cells or other particles. 
     
     
         6 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize comprises an inductively coupled plasma. 
     
     
         7 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize is adapted for operation at atmospheric or higher pressure. 
     
     
         8 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize is adapted to substantially completely ionize the entities in the packets. 
     
     
         9 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the introduction system is adapted to introduce the packets sequentially into the device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize the entities in the packets. 
     
     
         10 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 9  wherein the introduction system is adapted to introduce the packets substantially one at a time into the device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize. 
     
     
         11 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the packets contain a predetermined number of discrete entities. 
     
     
         12 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the spectrometer comprises a mass spectrometer. 
     
     
         13 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 12  wherein the mass spectrometer comprises a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. 
     
     
         14 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 13  wherein the time-of-flight mass spectrometer is configured for orthogonal extraction of ions from an ion beam produced by the device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize. 
     
     
         15 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 12  wherein the mass spectrometer comprises a magnetic sector mass spectrometer. 
     
     
         16 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 12  wherein the mass spectrometer is adapted to detect transient signals produced by analysis of distinct ion clouds associated with the ionization of individual packets and to maintain data relating to an individual packet distinct from data relating to other packets to enable analysis of the contents of the individual packets. 
     
     
         17 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 12  further comprising an ion pre-treatment system adapted to transport ions from the device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize to the mass analyzer. 
     
     
         18 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 17  wherein the ion pretreatment system comprises a high pass ion guide adapted to limit transportation of plasma support gas ions to the mass analyzer. 
     
     
         19 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 18  wherein the ion guide is adapted to allow passage of ionized Lanthanide ions. 
     
     
         20 . An elemental flow cytometer as set forth in  claim 12  further comprising a trigger system adapted to trigger a detection system of the mass analyzer to acquire data associated with a discrete packet in response to detection by the trigger system of an event associated with an ion cloud produced as the discrete entities in said packet are ionized by the device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize.