Biochip Spray: Simplified Coupling of Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensing and Mass Spectrometry

A simplified coupling of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immuno-biosensing with ambient ionization mass spectrometry (MS) was developed. It combines two orthogonal analysis techniques: the biosensing capability of SPR and the chemical identification power of high resolution MS. As a proof-of-principle, deoxynivalenol (DON), an important mycotoxin, was captured using an SPR gold chip containing an antifouling layer and monoclonal antibodies against the toxin and, after washing, the chip could be taken out and analyzed by direct spray MS of the biosensor chip to confirm the identity of DON. Furthermore, cross-reacting conjugates of DON present in a naturally contaminated beer could be successfully identified, thus showing the potential of rapid identification of (un)expected cross-reacting molecules.