Introducing a nature-inspired ion trap improves detection sensitivity and boosts ion throughput for mass spectrometry, suggesting new avenues for proteomic and metabolomic studies.
Parallelization has revolutionized computing and DNA sequencing but remains largely unexploited in mass spectrometry (MS), which typically analyzes ions sequentially. We introduce a nature-inspired ion trap (MultiQ-IT) that enables massively parallel MS. The device comprises a cubic array of small quadrupoles forming multiple ion entry and exit ports, allowing >10⁹ ions to be confined and manipulated simultaneously. This architecture enables selective depletion of singly charged ions in real time, greatly improving signal-to-noise ratios and detection sensitivity. The trap also functions as a parallel ion splitter, transmitting ions into multiple m/z-specific beams. We demonstrate scalable ion throughput, real-time charge discrimination, and parallel beam separation, suggesting a path toward truly parallel MS. Our results offer a foundation for next-generation, high-throughput proteomic and metabolomic analyses.
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Chait et al. (2025) studied this question.
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