Our Technology

The BioTOF™ z200
Rapid, Low-cost and Accurate Aerosol Threat Detection
BioFlyte® was created to commercialize a new generation of biodefense technologies including the time-of-flight mass spectrometer technology developed by Zeteo Tech. Our system incorporates an efficient aerosol sample collector, an automated sampling handling and archiving system, and the ability to switch between both matrix-assisted and non-matrix assisted laser desorption ionization front-ends.
Our z200 bioaerosol threat identifier is designed to autonomously sample ambient air to detect airborne threats, and when triggered, to identify the threat as the species or compound level. A typical deployment would be for continuous monitoring for aerosol threats in critical infrastructure, such as airports and other transportation infrastructure, as well as iconic buildings and other potential targets of terrorism. In autonomous monitoring mode, 10s or even 100s of anomalous aerosol conditions can be analyzed remotely and autonomously with mass spectrometry without human intervention.
Our systems operate with exceptionally low lifecycle cost since they do not rely on biomolecular reagents as consumables for identification.
How Does MALDI Work?
The acronym MALDI is used to name this ionization process: matrix-assisted, laser desorption and ionization, or MALDI. MALDI mass spectrometry for biomarker identification was pioneered in late 1980s as is now used world-wide as the gold standard in clinical laboratories for bacterial identification.MALDI mass spectrometry uses a matrix chemical, which is coated onto or mixed with to the bioaerosol. An ultraviolet laser pulse is used to desorb and ionize the high molecular weight, non-volatile biomarkers in the bioaerosol. The vapor phase ions are then accelerated to the detector, and the heavy ions arrive after the smaller, lighter ions. Thus, the time-of-flight can be related directly to the ion mass.
Application Development
BioFlyte®, in coordination with Zeteo Tech, is developing commercial applications for the digitalMALDI® technology. Present applications include analysis of breath aerosol for infectious disease and detection of airborne bio-threat agents within critical infrastructure. Are you interested in exploring a new application through a joint development project? Contact us to discuss your application.