Abstract
Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF)—profiling and imaging mass spectrometry (MSI) are promising technologies for measuring hundreds of different molecules directly on tissues. For instance, small molecules, drugs and their metabolites, endogenous lipids, carbohydrates and complex peptides/proteins can be measured at the same time. In the most advanced instruments, it is achieved without significant disruption of sample integrity. MSI is a unique approach for assessing the spatial distribution of molecules using graphical multidimensional maps of their constituent analytes, which may for instance be correlated with histopathological alterations in patient tissues. MALDI-TOF-MSI technology has been implemented in hospitals of several countries, where it is routinely used for quick pathogen(s) identification, a task formerly accomplished by laborious and expensive DNA/RNA-based PCR (polymerase chain reaction) screening.
In this chapter, we describe how MSI is performed, what is required from the researcher, the instrument vendors and finally what can be achieved with MSI. We restrict our descriptions only to MALDI-MSI although several other MS techniques of ionization can easily be linked to MSI.
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Acknowledgements
V.M. acknowledges Dr. Michael Becker and Bruker Daltonik GmbH, Bremen, Germany for technical assistance and Dr. Daniela Pillo for critical review of the FFPE protocols. This work was supported by grants from the Italian Ministry of University and Research: PRIN 2006 (no. 69373), FIRB 2007 (Rete nazionale per lo studio del proteoma umano, no.RBRN07BMCT_11), FAR 2006-2011 (ex 60 %), from Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Project SEED: “IPG-CHIP”, by “FONDO PER LA PRO-MOZIONE DI ACCORDI ISTITUZIONALI” Regione Lombardia DGR N. 5200/2007, project no. 14546: “Network Enabled Drug Design (NEDD)” and in part by the EuroKUP COST Action (BM0702) and Mass Spectrometry Imaging: New Tools for Healthcare Research COST Action (BM1104). A.G. work was sponsored by the joint grant for junior researchers from Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Aalto University (award for 2013). The authors also wish to thank MSc Enzo Scifo for critical review of the manuscript.
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Mainini, V., Lalowski, M., Gotsopoulos, A., Bitsika, V., Baumann, M., Magni, F. (2015). MALDI-Imaging Mass Spectrometry on Tissues. In: Vlahou, A., Makridakis, M. (eds) Clinical Proteomics. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1243. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1872-0_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1872-0_8
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