The present invention is directed to a bioactive probe or chip (BC) that allows
for the isolation of analytes, such as biomolecules, followed by modification or
bioreaction on these said analytes. More specifically, the present invention relates
to various methods and apparatuses that include the BC and further include characterization
and identification technologies, such as Bioactive Chip Mass Spectrometry (BCMS).
Within the context of the present invention, BC provides a method and device for
the capture and subsequent modifying, such as digestion or derivatization, of an
analyte. Further, real-time information regarding a variety of molecular interactions
may be provided by techniques such as interaction analysis (IA). Finally, the variety
of molecules are localized and concentrated thereby aiding in the identification
and/or quantification of the molecules by techniques such as mass spectroscopy.
In one embodiment, a method for performing the modification, or bioreaction, of
biomolecules is disclosed. Preferably, the method involves capturing an analyte
present within a sample by an interactive surface layer located in a separation
site; washing unwanted portions of the sample from the surroundings of the captured
analyte; transferring the captured analyte from the separation site to a modifying
site; modifying or bioreacting the analyte to create a modified or bioreacted analyte.
The modified analyte may then be subsequently characterized and/or identified by
techniques such as mass spectrometry.
