Charge-monitoring laser-induced acoustic desorption mass spectrometry for cell and microparticle mass distribution measurement

Mass exodus: A mass spectrometer for the rapid measurement of mass distributions of cells and microparticles is described. A discharge process is used to provide cells with thousands of charges so that direct charge measurement can be achieved. This device was used to measure microparticles with masses as high as 10¹⁵ Da and to distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. (Figure Presented).