SBIR Phase II: High Speed Sequencing and Structure Analysis

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project proposes to develop new methods for achieving high-speed sequencing and structure analysis of drug and biological molecules . The benefits of high-speed Molecular Sequencing (MSn) will be broadly applicable to end users through compatibility with ion trap MS instruments in general and specifically for the proposed QitTof MS (quadrupole ion - trap, time - of - flight mass spectrometry), which will provide the highest potential analysis speeds. The technical objectives for Phase II research are to (a) to develop high-speed MSn algorithms, (b) to optimize accurate mass neutral loss performance, (c) to develop CE / ESI (capillary electrophoresis / electrospray ionization) interface, and (d) to demonstrate CE / ESI / QitTof MS/MS for high-speed peptide sequencing. The final outcome of this Phase II work will be an instrument that will clearly achieve the highest speeds for peptide sequencing and overall protein identification. The commercial application of this project will be in the area of proteomics. The proteomics market is forecasted to grow from $ 0.7 billion to $ 5.8 billion over the next 5 years. There is a tremendous need to develop automated methods for the analysis of proteins and peptides linked to specific cells and tissues, in order to better understand global biological function for improved drug therapy and early detection of diseases such as cancer.