About
The Mass Spectrometry Imaging Core provides high-quality, spatial multi-omics data from thin tissue sections, for molecular classes not readily detectable by other means.
The Mass Spectrometry Imaging Core provides high-quality, spatial multi-omics data from thin tissue sections, for molecular classes not readily detectable by other means.
Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) is a technique that allow for the determination of the spatial localization and relative abundance of hundreds to thousands to biomolecules from a single tissue section without the need for target-specific reagents, such as antibodies or probes. It can provide spatial maps with relative abundance of drugs, metabolites, lipids, glycans, and peptides/proteins at approximately cellular resolution.
To, obtain MSI data, thin sections of fresh frozen or FFPE tissue are collected onto a slide before sample preparation that may include washing to remove salts and unwanted classes of molecules, enzymatic digestion, and/or matrix application. A laser (or ion beam) is then rastered over the surface of the sample in an ordered array, generating a full mass spectrum from each location (pixel) on the tissue. Any peak from the averaged mass spectrum can be plotted in false color to display the spatial localization and relative abundance of that molecule. Database tools can be used to provide putative identifications of the detected molecules. Integration with data from traditional proteomics and metabolomics analyses can be used to provide additional molecular identifications.
Basic statistical analysis can be performed on regions of interest from the tissue sections corresponding to histological features or outcomes. MSI data can be integrated with other spatial-omics data (e.g., spatial transcriptomics, targeted spatial proteomics, etc.) to obtain a deeper understanding of the tissue microenvironment.