High Performance Mass Spectrometry: Imaging in the Molecular Age of Science

Abstract: Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is a powerful technology that enables the visualization of biochemical processes directly in tissue specimens by combining the molecular specificity of mass spectrometry with microscopic imaging capabilities. This seminar will describe recent work developing advanced imaging mass spectrometry instrumentation to achieve high throughput, sensitivity, molecular specificity, and spatial resolution, as necessitated by biological studies of infectious disease, cancer, drug delivery, and diabetes. Specifically, this will include the use of high-speed IMS for the three-dimensional analysis of bacterial protein expression in a mouse model of Staphylococcus aureus kidney infection, the use of multiplexed tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) for the in situ quantification of the antibiotic rifampicin in rabbit liver, and the use of gas phase fractionation to improve the sensitivity of ganglioside detection in mouse and human pancreatic islets.