Teledyne CETAC and TOFWERK AG (Switzerland) recently announced the installation of the world’s first combination of an Analyte Excite excimer laser ablation system with HelEx II sample chamber and ARIS rapid aerosol introduction system coupled to an icpTOF 2R mass spectrometer at the University of Vienna. The system will be used for imaging element concentration distribution in biological samples, and will enable transmission of aerosol generated from laser pulses to the mass spectrometer in less than 30 milliseconds.
The Key Components
The Teledyne CETAC Analyte Excite laser ablation system delivers finely tuned, “homogenizer-flat” ablations with high sensitivity and split second response. Fire-on-the-fly lasing that is synchronized to the stage motion, combined with fast washout ablation cells, make possible precision depth profiling of spots, lines and areas while enabling high spatial resolution elemental mapping.
The Excite is equipped with a high definition, color GigE camera on a high magnification, optical zoom, video-microscope capable of resolving 2 μm features. Transmitted, reflective and ring illumination, cross polarizers plus software selectable camera settings give the user enhanced viewing capabilities. The combination of ultra-short pulse length and 193 nm wavelength is unsurpassed in coupling efficiency.
The HelEx II sample chamber combines capacity, speed and precision to drive sample cell research and development. The HelEx II improves upon the HelEx, which was the industry’s most peer reviewed and published cell. The improvements were driven by the demand for higher throughput, ranging in application from running a thousand or more zircons unattended to mapping elemental concentrations over areas of tissues and rocks, which calls for larger cells with faster washout and uniform signal intensity.
The final piece of the system provided by CETAC is the Aerosol Rapid Introduction System (ARIS), which connects a HelEx II laser ablation cell to an ICP-MS instrument, delivering sample directly to the torch without the use of internal valves and providing fast washout. The ARIS kit reduces the dead volume inside the cell and up to the torch to fully utilize the capabilities of the HelEx.
The icpTOF 2R by TOFWERK offers high-speed, simultaneous, all-element detection for laser ablation imaging. The mass analyzer features a lengthening of the TOF ion drift chamber, which doubles the mass resolving power from >3000 to >6000 with no loss of sensitivity.
Benefits to the University
The addition of this system at the University will enable interdisciplinary research at the interface of cancer research, drug development and analytical chemistry.
Prof. Dr. Gunda Köllensperger, Head of Department of Analytical Chemistry, said, “Tumor progression and therapy resistance is critically regulated by the tumor microenvironment which is characterized by distinct cell types. Hence, our major aim is to create elemental images of tumors or tumor models reflecting this heterogeneity at a cellular level.”
Dr. Köllensperger added that the ability to create elemental images of tumors at the cellular level together with the possibility of quantifying drug uptake or other marker molecules will significantly advance preclinical cancer research.
Teledyne and TOFWERK emphasized the ability of the combined instruments to improve science and advance commercial technology in biomedical science resulting in groundbreaking results.
For more information on the Analyte Excite, visit http://www.teledynecetac.com/products/laser-ablation/analyte-excite or click the button below to download the Analyte Excite Brochure
