Methods of Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy Systems for Analyzing a Cellular Sample
AssigneeFluidigm Canada Inc.
InventorOlga Ornatsky
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Abstract
The invention relates to the use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy for cellular sample analysis. In some embodiments a method of performing mass spectroscopy analysis using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy system is provided. The method may include introducing a cellular sample comprising one or more cells or cellular particles into an inductively coupled plasma of the inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy system. The method may further include using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy system to assess the cellular sample by detecting and measuring one or more element tags in the cellular sample based on the element or isotopic compositions of the one or more element tags.
Claims20
A method of analysis using an elemental analyzer system, the method comprising:
- introducing a cellular sample comprising one or more cells or cellular particles into the elemental analyzer system, the cellular sample comprising:
- (a) a first oligonucleotide probe coupled with a first element tag, the first oligonucleotide probe hybridized with a first target mRNA molecule of the cellular sample;
- and (b) an affinity reagent coupled with a second element tag having an elemental or isotopic composition different than the first element tag, the affinity reagents bound to a cell surface protein or an intracellular protein;
- assessing a protein expression of the cellular sample and assessing a gene expression of the cellular sample by detecting the first element tag and the second element tag based on the element or isotopic compositions of the first and second elemental tags.
A method of using an elemental analyzer system for analysis of a cellular sample having one or more cells or cellular particles, the method comprising:
- rendering a target nucleic acid available for hybridization to complementary oligonucleotide probes by at least one of fixing and permeabilizing the one or more cells or cellular particles of the cellular sample;
- incubating the cellular sample in a hybridization solution comprising an oligonucleotide probe under conditions to enable the oligonucleotide probe to hybridize to the target nucleic acid through complementary base pairing between the oligonucleotide probe and the target nucleic acid;
- separating unhybridized oligonucleotide probe from oligonucleotide probe hybridized to the target nucleic acid;
- labeling the oligonucleotide probe with a unique element tag such that the oligonucleotide probe is distinguishable by atomic composition analysis from any other oligonucleotide probe labeled with an element tag having an elemental or isotopic composition different than the unique element tag;
- and
- detecting the unique element tag associated with the oligonucleotide probe hybridized to the cellular sample with an elemental analyzer system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.