Spraying Your Way into High Spatial Resolution Mass Spectrometry Imaging

Abstract

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) is a powerful technique to visualize molecular distributions. However, many factors come into play for a “good picture painted with ions”. This presentation will take you on a journey through time. We will start in early times when mass spectrometrists learned to cut tissue properly, and why this is so important not only for the morphology of the tissue but also for the actual MALDI imaging experiment. The presentation will then move to our current work on reproducible and homogenous matrix deposition allowing for high-spatial resolution in research. Matrix spraying versus matrix sublimation will be discussed showing the importance of crystallinity and homogeneity. The influence of selected solvents for the spraying process will be demonstrated and on-tissue derivatization will be discussed for enhanced metabolite detection, always keeping analyte localization for high resolution imaging in mind.