Analyst Blog

Analyst Issue 7 is now available online! Take a look at our new wonderful covers featuring the latest discoveries in the field of analytical chemistry.

Julia Laskin and her group used nanospray desorption electrospray ionization for spatial profiling of chemical gradients generated by microbial communities on plate, and detected metabolites and lipids on the colonies and the surrounding agar. This methodology, just featured on the outisde front cover of Issue 7, might facilitate future studies on interactions between bacterial colonies.

Spatially resolved analysis of glycolipids and metabolites in living Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 using nanospray desorption electrospray ionization
Ingela Lanekoff ,  Oleg Geydebrekht ,  Grigoriy E. Pinchuk ,  Allan E. Konopka and Julia Laskin
Analyst, 2013,138, 1971-1978
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36716A 

Our inside front cover shows the work of Ahu Arslan Yildiz and colleagues from the Institute of Material Research and Engineering in Singapore. The researchers analysed the human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channel, which is known to be involved in inherited or drug-induced long QT syndrome. Surface Plasmon Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Imaging Surface Plasmon resonance techniques were used to investigate the interactions between hERG and the drug. According to the study, this new approach could be applied to other membrane proteins for drug screening or other prorein-related interactions.

Biomimetic membrane platform containing hERG potassium channel and its application to drug screening
Ahu Arslan Yildiz ,  CongBao Kang and Eva-Kathrin Sinner
Analyst, 2013,138, 2007-2012
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36159D

Finally, our outside back cover presents the Tutorial Review written by Sergei Kazarian and Andrew Chan from Imperial College London, who outline the most recent advances and applications of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy imaging in biomedical studies. In addition, future developments in the area are discussed. 

ATR-FTIR spectroscopic imaging: recent advances and applications to biological systems
Sergei G. Kazarian and K. L. Andrew Chan
Analyst, 2013,138, 1940-1951
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36865C

In addition, take a look below at our selected HOT articles of the issue. These papers will be free for you to enjoy until March 25th.

Facile formation of folic acid-modified dendrimer-stabilized gold–silver alloy nanoparticles for potential cellular computed tomography imaging applications
Hui Liu ,  Mingwu Shen ,  Jinglong Zhao ,  Jingyi Zhu ,  Tingting Xiao ,  Xueyan Cao ,  Guixiang Zhang and Xiangyang Shi
Analyst, 2013,138, 1979-1987
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36649A

Label-free, disposable fiber-optic biosensors for DNA hybridization detection
Ming-jie Yin ,  Chuang Wu ,  Li-yang Shao ,  Wing Kin Edward Chan ,  A. Ping Zhang ,  Chao Lu and Hwa-yaw Tam
Analyst, 2013,138, 1988-1994
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36791F

Novel switchable sensor for phosphate based on the distance-dependant fluorescence coupling of cysteine-capped cadmium sulfide quantum dots and silver nanoparticles
Guang-Li Wang ,  Huan-Jun Jiao ,  Xiao-Ying Zhu ,  Yu-Ming Dong and Zai-Jun Li
Analyst, 2013,138, 2000-2006
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36878E

The new issue of Analyst is now available online. Take a look at our wonderful covers and discover all about the latest research behind them.

Our outside front cover shows the work of Igor Lednev and his group from the State University of New York, USA. The researchers analyse biological specimens using surface- and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS and TERS) and investigate the lack amide I band, commonly used as a marker for interpretation of the secondary protein structure.

Amide I vibrational mode suppression in surface (SERS) and tip (TERS) enhanced Raman spectra of protein specimens
Dmitry Kurouski ,  Thomas Postiglione ,  Tanja Deckert-Gaudig ,  Volker Deckert and Igor K. Lednev
Analyst, 2013,138, 1665-1673
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN36478F

Our interesting inside front cover showcases work from Luigi Sanguigno from the Italian Institute of Technology, who describes how fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) can be misleading in 2D systems. This study highlights the alignment issues and the effects of thermal fluctuations related to FCS in 2D systems and proposes elimination of systematic errors due to the misalignments of membranes.

Accounting for misalignments and thermal fluctuations in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy experiments on membranes
Luigi Sanguigno ,  Chiara Cosenza ,  Filippo Causa and Paolo Antonio Netti
Analyst, 2013,138, 1674-1681
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN36681A

The outside back cover of this issue introduces negative mode probe electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PESI-MS) as a tool for biomolecular analysis and cancer dignostics. Mridul Kanti Mandal and colleagues from the University of Yamanashi, Japan, analysed several combinations of solvents and probes to optmise the conditions of ionization for biomolecules such as peptides, proteins and lipids.

Biomolecular analysis and cancer diagnostics by negative mode probe electrospray ionization
Mridul Kanti Mandal ,  Subhrakanti Saha ,  Kentaro Yoshimura ,  Yasuo Shida ,  Sen Takeda ,  Hiroshi Nonami and Kenzo Hiraoka
Analyst, 2013,138, 1682-1688
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36554A

In addition, along with our new covers we also have some selected HOT articles for you to enjoy. These papers will be free to read for the next 10 days.

Take a look at Issue 6 now!

A mixed alkanethiol based immunosensor for surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy in serum
Andreas Scholten ,  Bernhard Menges ,  Martin Juebner ,  Markus A. Rothschild and Katja Bender
Analyst, 2013,138, 1705-1712
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN35657D

A Hg2+-mediated label-free fluorescent sensing strategy based on G-quadruplex formation for selective detection of glutathione and cysteine
Jingjin Zhao ,  Chunfei Chen ,  Liangliang Zhang ,  Jianhui Jiang ,  Guoli Shen and Ruqin Yu
Analyst, 2013,138, 1713-1718
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36657J

Iodine excitation in a dielectric barrier discharge micro-plasma and its determination by optical emission spectrometry
Yong-Liang Yu ,  Shuai Dou ,  Ming-Li Chen and Jian-Hua Wang
Analyst, 2013,138, 1719-1725
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN36780G

Analyst issue 5 has now gone online! Take a look at these three woderful covers and read all about the new discoveries behind them.

Featured on the outside front cover  is the recent study of Todd Mitchell and his group, from the University of Wollongong, Australia. The team describes a novel approach to identify lipids on the surface of contact lenses by using liquid extraction surface analysis coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, and shows that lipids can be extracted with limited degradation of the contact lenses in only 15 minutes.

Automated surface sampling of lipids from worn contact lenses coupled with tandem mass spectrometry
Simon H. J. Brown ,  Liam H. Huxtable ,  Mark D. P. Willcox ,  Stephen J. Blanksby and Todd W. Mitchell
Analyst, 2013,138, 1316-1320
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN36189B

Our inside front cover showcases work coming from the Republic of Korea. Taesung Kim and researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology introduce a surface-patterned Nafion film to induce ion concentration polarization. This method can be easily used for separation and concentration of proteins extracted from lysed bacterial cells simultaneously and continuously on a chip.

Ion concentration polarization in a single and open microchannel induced by a surface-patterned perm-selective film
Minseok Kim ,  Mingjie Jia and Taesung Kim
Analyst, 2013,138, 1370-1378
DOI: 10.1039/C2AN36346A

Finally, the interesting outisde back cover of this issue shows a novel strategy for efficient ionization of phosphopeptides in mixtures presented by Hao Chen and his group from the Ohio University, USA. Desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry allows direct ionization of analytes without the need of sample separation or enrichment. The new method presented here would provide ionization and examination of analytes in low pH environment.

Highly efficient ionization of phosphopeptides at low pH by desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
Ning Pan ,  Pengyuan Liu ,  Weidong Cui ,  Bo Tang ,  Jingmin Shi and Hao Chen
Analyst, 2013,138, 1321-1324
DOI: 10.1039/C3AN36737A