Stopped-flow, micro-fluidic device and method for the charge-based separation of complex analyte mixtures

摘要

The present inventions relate to micro-fluidic devices and related methods of fractionating samples of analytes, such as peptides or proteins, according to their isoelectric points. The disclosed micro-fluidic devices and related methods provide a fractionation sufficient to enhance the performance of immunochemistry and/or tandem liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry workflows. Such methods and devices are capable of fractionating complex samples in a short time, using a small amount of sample, do not require high voltages and are further characterized by their high degree of reproducibility and ease of use.

主权项

1. A micro-fluidic device for fractionating a sample of analytes according to their isoelectric points, the device comprising:
a micro-fluidic chamber comprising one or more walls and a separation chamber zone contained within the one or more walls; an inlet port situated at a first end of the micro-fluidic chamber for introducing a sample of analytes into the separation chamber zone; a plurality of outlet ports situated at a second end of the micro-fluidic chamber substantially opposite the first end, the plurality of outlet ports extending across a width that is equal to at least part of a width of the separation chamber zone; a plurality of channels each leading from a different widthwise position in the separation chamber zone to one of the plurality of outlet ports; and one or more flow path deflector elements situated proximate the inlet port and situated between the inlet port and the plurality of outlet ports, the one or more flow path deflector elements being situated entirely in one or more positions preceding the separation chamber zone; wherein the one or more flow path deflector elements are positioned in such a way as to prevent substantial lateral intermixing of a plurality of fractionated analyte group as the plurality of fractionated analyte groups flows from one or more positions in the separation chamber zone to the plurality of channels.