Nature Methods
- 4, 828 - 833 (2007)
Published online: 27 September 2007; | doi:10.1038/nmeth1094
MALDI imaging mass spectrometry: molecular snapshots of biochemical systemsDale S Cornett, Michelle L Reyzer, Pierre Chaurand & Richard M Caprioli
The authors are at the Mass Spectrometry Research Center, 465 21st Avenue, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA. r.caprioli@vanderbilt.edu
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is emerging as a powerful tool for investigating the distribution of molecules within biological systems through the direct analysis of thin tissue sections. Unique among imaging methods, MALDI-IMS can determine the distribution of hundreds of unknown compounds in a single measurement. We discuss the current state of the art of MALDI-IMS along with some recent applications and technological developments that illustrate not only its current capabilities but also the future potential of the technique to provide a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of biological processes.
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