Breakthroughs
Innovations in chemical analysis
A new chemical-analysis tool simplifies the use of the mass spectrometer, making it faster, more portable, and more useful. The technology, called desorption electrospray ionization, or DESI, can be used to detect a variety of molecular masses, from the boundaries of cancerous tumors to explosives residue on luggage. The research, which was funded by the National Science Foundation and headed by R. Graham Cooks, the Henry Bohn Hass Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry, has been detailed in a recent Science paper.
In addition to developing the DESI technology, Cooks and his team have developed miniature spectrometers to utilize it. These handheld devices run on batteries, are portable, and can instantly determine the composition of certain substances, including explosives. This tool makes detection of explosives residue, such as the kinds used in last year's subway bombings in London, much more convenient.
Another method, called atmospheric- pressure thermal desorption ionization, performs similar functions but without the vacuum chamber usually required by mass spectrometry, and without the high-voltage sources needed for the handheld DESI equipment. Cooks and his team have developed this alternate method and have successfully ionized organic salts and ionic liquid. The most significant aspect of this new technique is that it can ionize materials at atmospheric pressure by simply heating a sample, rather than using a laser or high-energy beam.
Biologists were able to take a picture of the dengue virus, a mosquitoborne virus infecting more than 50 million people annually, as it attached to a cell. Shortly after attaching, researchers saw a Velcro-like protein on the surface of the cell, which scientists think may initiate early stages of infection. The research was conducted by Elena Pokidysheva and Ying Zhang, postdoctoral research associates working with Michael Rossmann, Hanley Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences, and Richard J. Kuhn, professor and department head of biological sciences. By better understanding how viruses work, scientists hope to develop better treatments and preventative measures.
Computer advances in viral imaging
Scientists, including Wen Jiang, an assistant professor of biological sciences, have modified viral-imaging computer software to view high-resolution images of viruses that are too small to be observed with conventional imaging devices. The custom software let Jiang and his team observe the Epsilon 15 virus, viewing features that were less than a billionth of a meter across.