Significant increase in the efficiency of matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) method and utilization of lossless sub-atmospheric pressure interface in mass spectrometry (MS) will have a profound impact on MS-based tissue imaging and on the entire analytical field of characterization of proteins, lipids, and metabolites Proposed increase in ionization efficiency of MALDI sources will make it an indispensable tool for both research laboratories and in clinical settings. We plan to build a platform combining atmospheric MALDI source and very efficient ion collector to drastically improve sensitivity and speed of MS-based analysis of miniscule amount of biomaterials harvested from tissues.
A mass spectrometry (MS) imaging platform utilizing an atmospheric pressure matrix assisted ionization source and ion funnel will be hyphenated with high mass resolution mass spectrometer for the analysis of biological molecules from tissue samples. The platform will significantly improve the method sensitivity compared to that achieved using commercial ion sources. We plan to develop a novel interface providing highly efficient ionization of analytes harvested from tissue samples and lossless collection of produced ions in the low-pressure ion funnel. The interface can be straightforwardly combined with gas-phase separation methods. A use of novel interface will drastically improve detection limits of the MS imaging technology, leading to better characterization of protein and metabolite distribution in tissue samples. The platform can be easily incorporated into a variety of commercial tandem mass spectrometers.
