Rare event detection using mass tags

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016086781-A1
Application number	US-201514862517-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 23, 2015
Priority date	Sep 24, 2014
Publication date	Mar 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention generally relates to methods for rare event detection using mass tags. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods for detecting a target analyte in a sample that involve conducting an assay that specifically associates a mass tag with a target analyte in a sample, generating ions of the mass tag, and analyzing the generated ions of the mass tag, thereby detecting the target analyte from the sample.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for detecting a target analyte in a sample, the method comprising:
conducting an assay that specifically associates a mass tag with a target analyte in a sample; generating ions of the mass tag; and analyzing the generated ions of the mass tag, thereby detecting the target analyte from the sample.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the generating step comprises inductively generating ions of the mass tag.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein analyzing comprises directing the ions into a mass spectrometer.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , the sample is a biological sample.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the biological sample is a blood sample.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the target analyte is a circulating tumor cell.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising quantifying the mass tag, thereby quantifying the target analyte.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein quantifying comprises introducing an internal standard during the conducting step.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the internal standard is an isotopically labeled form of the mass tag.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein prior to the generating step, the method comprising a wash step.

11 . A method for detecting a target analyte in a sample, the method comprising:
applying a voltage to a surface to generate ions of a mass tag that is specifically associated with a target analyte from a sample; and analyzing the generated ions of the mass tag, thereby detecting the target analyte from the sample.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the voltage is produced by an electrode that is physically discrete from the surface and is positioned to provide an inductive charge to the surface.

13 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the surface is a porous surface.

14 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein analyzing comprises directing the ions into a mass spectrometer.

15 . The method according to claim 11 , the sample is a biological sample.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the biological sample is a blood sample.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the target analyte is a circulating tumor cell.

18 . The method according to claim 11 , further comprising quantifying the mass tag, thereby quantifying the target analyte.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein quantifying comprises analyzing ions of an internal standard while analyzing the ions of the mass tag.

20 . The method according to claim 19 , wherein the internal standard is an isotopically labeled form of the mass tag.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Cooks Robert Graham
• Ouyang Zheng

Classifications

• G01N33/575

  for cancer · CPC title

• Y10T436/24

  Nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance or other spin effects or mass spectrometry · CPC title

• H01J49/00

  Particle spectrometers or separator tubes · CPC title

• G01N33/49

  Blood {(chemical methods for determining blood cell populations G01N33/5094; chemical analysis of blood groups or blood types G01N33/80)} · CPC title

• G01N33/58 Primary

  involving labelled substances (G01N33/53 takes precedence) · CPC title