The challenge of obtaining the highest amount of useful information possible from the smallest amount of sample possible is well known in biological and chemical analysis. In particular, current sample processing technologies are not capable of yielding useful information from very small biological samples that are analyzed using mass spectrometry.   

The “nanoPOTS” (Nanodroplet Processing in One pot for Trace Samples) technology was developed by PNNL scientists specifically to address this problem. The novel design of the microfabricated sample wells, the control of the sample handling conditions, and a robotic handling system for nanoliter volumes allow the new technology to achieve analytical results from small samples that provide orders of magnitude more information than existing technologies. For example, one study identified more than 18,000 peptides and more than 3,000 proteins from mammalian samples comprising just 10 to 14 cells.  Similar order-of-magnitude improvements over previously reported methods have been demonstrated for even smaller cell amounts including single cells.