The state-of-the-art of coupling Lab-on-a-Chip to mass spectrometry is provided.
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Applications using Lab-on-a-Chip coupled to mass spectrometry are discussed.
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We look at the role of miniaturized analysis systems in the analytical workflow.
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Perspective on integration of miniaturized analytical systems in the lab is provided.
The Lab-on-a-Chip concept aims at miniaturizing laboratory processes to enable automation and/or parallelization via microfluidic chips that are capable of handling minute sample volumes. Mass spectrometry is nowadays the detection method of choice, because of its selectivity, sensitivity and wide application range. We review the most interesting examples over the last two-and-a-half years where the two techniques were used for bioanalytical applications. Furthermore, we discuss the merits and limitations of such hyphenated systems. We inventorize the reported applications and approaches. We see an ongoing trend towards chip-based liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry usage and small volume analysis applications, particularly in the field of proteomics where bottom-up approaches profit from chip-based technologies and hyphenation with complex cell cultures.