Description
A high sensitivity, mass spectrometry, ion mobility based, method has been developed to measure protein cross section. This approach is based on the principle that larger molecules, in the gas phase, take longer to pass through a region containing a low pressure of inert gas molecules than smaller molecules. The misfolding pf prion proteins, which is believed to be the root cause of the development of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE's), results in a significant increase in cross section. This method has the potential to monitor this misfolding event and thus provide the basis for an antemortem for TSE's. |