AAFS 2025: Tom Metz Discusses Developments in Field Deployment Devices

Field deployable mass spectrometers (MS) are becoming more commonplace in analytical science. Recent developments in these instruments have focused on making them as small and portable as possible, while still delivering on-site chemical analysis quickly and accurately (1). These portable instruments are designed for various applications, but they can be adjusted for a specific application (1). These instruments are designed to have high sensitivity and specificity, and they are less expensive than their regular-sized counterparts (1).

Because of their ability to conduct analysis on-site without transporting samples to the laboratory, field-deployable mass spectrometers are popular in forensic analysis. We recently spoke to Tom Metz, who is a Laboratory Fellow and the Chief Science Officer of the Biological Sciences Division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), about these developments, what changes in field deployable mass spectrometers mean for forensic analysis, and what challenges remain in this space (2).

In this video segment, Metz discusses advancements in field deployable units, such as miniaturized mass spectrometers and separation devices, which are notable for their size reduction. However, as Metz emphasized in the interview, challenges remain in power requirements and the necessity of creating a controlled environment within the instrument to measure molecules accurately. Metz explained how these instruments often lack the resolution and sensitivity of their laboratory counterparts, which may limit their effectiveness for certain applications or molecules that require more precise measurements.

With a focus on high-throughput metabolomics, lipidomics, and proteomics for studying chronic and infectious diseases, Metz has authored over 200 publications (2). His current research involves developing next-generation multi-dimensional mass spectrometry techniques and computational prediction of molecular signatures for reference-free compound identification (2). He now leads the PNNL m/q Initiative and co-leads the ChemBio Analytical Sciences Hub within the NEXUS Exposome Research Coordination Network (2).

Our conversation with Metz is part of our extended coverage of the AAFS Conference. To catch up on all our latest coverage from the AAFS Conference, click here.

References

• Snyder, D. T.; Pulliam, C. J.; Ouyang, Z.; Cooks, R. G. Miniature and Fieldable Mass Spectrometers: Recent Advances. Anal. Chem. 2015, 88 (1), 2–29. DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b03070
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Thomas O. Metz. PNNL.gov. Available at: https://www.pnnl.gov/people/thomas-o-metz (accessed 2025-03-17).