Georgia Tech develops mass spectrometry device that analyzes proteins faster and at a ...( ATLANTA (June 7 2005) The sequencing ...)

There are about 2 million distinct proteins in the human body. That's a lot of proteins and the future of personalized medicine depends on a better understanding of proteins, including their structure and interactions with drugs and medical devices.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a device that has the potential to significantly reduce the time needed to analyze these important proteins, shortening development time for new drugs and bringing down the overall cost of protein analysis technology. According to findings published in Applied Physics Letters, the device can potentially analyze proteins much faster, more gently and at a lower cost.

"The device has the potential to completely change the landscape of this field," said Andrei Fedorov, an associate professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech who leads the project. Fedorov's collaborators on the project include Professor F.L. Degertekin from the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and Professor F.M. Fernandez from the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

The device is a critical component of a mass spectrometer, an instrument that can detect proteins present even in ultra-small concentrations by measuring the relative masses of ionized atoms and molecules. Mass spectrometers can provide a complete protein profile and essentially make proteomics, the study of how proteins are produced and interact within an organ, cell or tissue, possible.

"You need to be able to take a blood sample, pass it through a system and figure out the complete protein profile of the human plasma. It's an extremely te
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Contact: Megan McRainey
megan.mcrainey@icpa.gatech.edu
404-894-6016
Georgia Institute of Technology
7-Jun-2005