Ultrafast capillary electrophoresis and bioanalytical applications

摘要

The advancement of our knowledge of biochemical phenomena depends on our ability to implement increasingly more powerful analytical techniques. Traditional means to characterize the chemical constituents of a solution include spectro-scopic approaches and separation techniques to identify, isolate and quantify analytes. Unfortunately, these techniques are not perfect. Often, spectral properties of similar species are difficult to resolve in a complex mixture. Alternatively, separation methods for analysis of biological samples generally demand times of at least several seconds or longer, and unstable products can often degrade in solution before ever reaching the detection window. The article by Plenert and Shear in this issue of PNAS represents a significant advance in ultrafast separation and detection of biologically relevant compounds.