The Open SprayBot: A high-throughput paper spray mass spectrometry platform for disease screening
Nancy Shyrley García-Rojas,
Héctor Guillén-Alonso,
Scott MacKay,
Claudia Torres-Calzada,
Leonardo Daniel Soto-Rodriguez,
Robert Winkler,
David S. Wishart
Affiliations
Nancy Shyrley García-Rojas
Laboratorio de Análisis Bioquímico e Instrumental, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Cinvestav, Km. 9.6 Libramiento Norte, Carretera Irapuato-León, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; Department of Biological Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Héctor Guillén-Alonso
Laboratorio de Análisis Bioquímico e Instrumental, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Cinvestav, Km. 9.6 Libramiento Norte, Carretera Irapuato-León, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; Department of Biochemical Engineering, National Technological Institute, Celaya, Mexico
Scott MacKay
Department of Biological Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Claudia Torres-Calzada
Department of Biological Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Leonardo Daniel Soto-Rodriguez
Laboratorio de Análisis Bioquímico e Instrumental, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Cinvestav, Km. 9.6 Libramiento Norte, Carretera Irapuato-León, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México
Robert Winkler
Laboratorio de Análisis Bioquímico e Instrumental, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Cinvestav, Km. 9.6 Libramiento Norte, Carretera Irapuato-León, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; Corresponding author at: Laboratorio de Análisis Bioquímico e Instrumental, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Cinvestav, Km. 9.6 Libramiento Norte, Carretera Irapuato-León, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México.
David S. Wishart
Department of Biological Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Corresponding author at: Department of Biological Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Newborn disease screening increases survival, improves quality of life and reduces treatment costs for healthcare systems. Mass spectrometry (MS) is an effective method for metabolic screening. However, conventional analytical methods require biofluid handling and cooling conditions during transport, making the logistics difficult and expensive, especially for remote regions. ’Paper-spray’ (PS) ionization generates a charged solvent spray from samples deposited on paper strips. Therefore, samples can be applied on a suitable matrix and shipped as dried spots to diagnostic laboratories with standard postal or messenger services. We built a robotic platform, the ’Open SprayBot’, to automatically analyze paper-deposited samples via PS-MS and increase the sample throughput. The system is operated via RUMBA32 and Arduino Mega boards. A commercial syringe pump and power supply provide solvent application and electrical current required for PS-MS. The usability of the Open SprayBot was demonstrated by quantifying palmitoyl-l-carnitine, a common biomarker in newborn screening.
