Sampling Probe for Microarray Read Out Using Electrospray Mass Spectrometry

The subject invention disclosed herein is a rapid, specific and sensitive device and method for serial read out of interacting components on protein chip microarrays. The subject invention is a new concept for chip read out that requires no extrinsic labeling. Protein array interactions are read out (i.e., identified) using a minature sampling probe, connected to an electrospray ion source coupled with a mass spectrometer. This microarray read out approach strengthens the overall value of protein microarrays for the study of protein expression, enabling rapid identification of complex protein interactions. The subject invention is also valuable to identification of other components that might be captured on microarrays, including potential candidates in drug discovery processes.

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