Systems and methods for sample analysis using swabs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10998178-B2
Application number	US-201816101647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2018
Priority date	Aug 28, 2017
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for sample analysis using swabs. In certain aspects, the invention provides systems that include a probe having a conductive proximal portion coupled to a porous material at a distal portion of the probe that is configured to retain a portion of a sample that has contacted the porous material, and a mass spectrometer having an inlet. The system is configured such that the porous material at a distal portion of the probe is aligned over the inlet of the mass spectrometer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a probe comprising a conductive proximal portion coupled to a porous material at a distal portion of the probe that is configured to retain a portion of a sample that has contacted the porous material; and
a mass spectrometer comprising an inlet comprising a distal end bent perpendicularly upward, wherein the system is configured such that the porous material at a distal portion of the probe is aligned directly vertically above the bent distal end of the inlet of the mass spectrometer.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the porous material is arranged in a fused shape.

3. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a voltage source operably coupled to the conductive proximal portion of the probe.

4. The system according to claim 3 , further comprising a solvent source configured to apply solvent to the porous material.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the solvent includes an internal standard.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the probe is attached to an electrospray ionization probe or forms a distal tip of an electrospray ionization probe.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the mass spectrometer is a miniature mass spectrometer.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Cooks Robert Graham
• Jarmusch Alan Keith
• Pirro Valentina

Classifications

• A61B10/02 Primary

  Instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy {(A61B10/0038 and A61B10/0045 take precedence; needle locating or guiding means A61B17/3403; samplers for enzymology or microbiology C12M1/26; sampling or preparing biological specimens G01N33/48)} · CPC title

• H01J49/0409

  Sample holders or containers (containers for retaining a material to be analyzed, B01L3/50, for DNA, C12Q1/6834, for biological materials, G01N33/543) · CPC title

• G01N2001/028

  Sampling from a surface, swabbing, vaporising · CPC title

• G01N30/72

  Mass spectrometers {(mass spectrometers per se H01J49/00)} · CPC title

• A61B5/7282

  Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition (cough events A61B5/0823; seizures A61B5/4094; sleep apnoea A61B5/4818) · CPC title