A new solution for micro-scale PMF

Published: 1-Sep-2003


A new Chemical Inkjet Printer (ChIP) from Shimadzu Biotech and Proteome Systems offers a new approach to Peptide Mass Fingerprinting (PMF) and Protein Macroarray Analysis. ChIP is a unique technology platform for micro-scale on-membrane protein identification and characterisation with widespread applications in biomedical and diagnostic discovery.

Many important proteins are available only in limited amounts, and unlike DNA there is no process equivalent to PCR to amplify proteins. Using current methods, the entire sample on a protein array is sacrificed to perform identification and characterisation. ChIP employs state-of-the-art nanotechnology fluidics, enabling microprinting to be carried out on just a fraction of a protein spot. This allows further study on the remainder of bioactive materials.

ChIP's piezoelectric 'drop-on-demand' ink-jet technology allows the precise delivery of pico-litre volumes of reagents to defined locations on a PVDF membrane. The system can deliver up to four different chemistries to the same spot, allowing for multiple enzyme digests and thereby increasing sequence coverage of a protein.

Using ChIP, proteomics researchers no longer have to carry out time-consuming in-gel digestion, peptide extraction and C18 ZipTip clean-up steps. The technology can also rapidly dispense multiple antibodies to screen for antigens in minutes rather than hours.

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