Arrayed time-of-flight mass spectrometry for time-critical detection of hazardous agents

The design and operation of an arrayed time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer for simultaneous data acquisition from multiple samples is described. Versions of the instrument employ sets of two or four linear or reflectron mass analyzers. They are housed in the same vacuum chamber and utilize the same laser for ion desorption. Instrument performance is illustrated in the example of a two-linear-mass-analyzer array using MALDI-MS for mixtures of commercially available proteins as well as intact microorganisms. We also describe the properties of a novel short delay time (< 170 ns) pulsed extraction method for linear TOF analyzers. This configuration allows uniform resolution improvements to be achieved in a wide m/z range. In addition, we present multiplexed sample preparation methods, using different reagents prior to mass analysis in the arrayed system, to increase the overall sensitivity of the MS method and to allow wider and more efficient detection across the entire range of potentially hazardous agents. In addition to the multifold increase in data collection rates, arrayed TOF-MS configurations provide a high degree of redundancy, critical for rapid, high confidence agent identification as well as for reduction in false alarm rates.