Mass Spectrometry Based Multi-Parametric Particle Analyzer

Abstract

An analytical instrument has a sample introduction system for generating a stream of particles from a sample. An ionization system atomizes and ionizes particles in the stream as they are received. The instrument has an ion pretreatment system and a mass analyzer. The ion pretreatment system is adapted to transport ions generated by the ionization system to the mass analyzer. The mass analyzer is adapted measure the amount of at least one element in individual particles from the stream by performing mass analysis on the ions from the atomized particles. The instrument can be adapted to measure the amount of many different tags, for example at least five different tags, at the same time to facilitate multi-parametric analysis of cells and other particles.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for sequentially analyzing single cells in a sample by mass spectrometry,
 wherein the sample comprises a plurality of tagged cells tagged with a plurality of tagged antibodies, wherein each of the plurality of tagged antibodies is specific for a different analyte, and wherein each of the plurality of tagged antibodies is tagged with an elemental tag comprising a lanthanide or noble metal;
 wherein the system comprises: 
 a first device to vaporize, atomize, and ionize multiple elemental tags from a single first cell of the plurality of tagged cells and multiple elemental tags from a single second cell of the plurality of tagged cells; and 
 a second device to detect, by mass spectrometry, lanthanides and/or noble metals of the single first cell by detecting a transient signal of the multiple vaporized, atomized, and ionized elemental tags of the single first cell, and lanthanides and/or noble metals of the single second cell by detecting a transient signal of the multiple vaporized, atomized, and ionized elemental tags of the single second cell, wherein the transient signal associated with the single first cell and the transient signal associated with the single second cell are detected sequentially.