Imaging Mass Spectrometry Impact Factor
Imaging
mass spectrometry (IMS) is an enabling technology for the in situ analysis of
biomolecules and pharmaceutical compounds in thin tissue sections. Imaging
mass spectrometry (IMS) has been the elementary tool for biomolecular imaging. While it is possible to map a wide range of
biomolecules using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization IMS ranging from high-molecular-weight proteins to small metabolites, more often than not only the most abundant easily ionisable
species are detected. To better understand complex diseases such as
cancer more specific and sensitive methods need to be developed to enable the detection of lower abundance
molecules but also
molecules that have yet to be imaged by IMS. In recent years, a big shift has occurred in the imaging community from developing wide reaching methods to developing targeted ones which increases sensitivity through the use of more specific sample preparations. Samples will be marked by the advent of solvent-free matrix deposition methods for polar lipids, chemical derivatization for
hormones and metabolites, and the use of alternative ionization agents for neutral lipids. In this chapter, we discuss two of the latest sample preparations which exploit the use of alternative ionization agents to enable the detection of certain classes of neutral lipids along with free fatty acids by high-sensitivity IMS as manifested within the lab.
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