MALDI MS Imaging-Molecular Mapping of Biological Samples by MALDI Mass Spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a label-free method that can determine both identity and distribution of hundreds of molecules on tissue sections, in one single run.Lipids, proteins, peptides, carbohydrates, bacterial colonies, drugs and their metabolites can be analyzed for their distribution and relative concentration, at spatial resolutions down to cellular levels and for sample sizes up to whole body model animals.As such, MALDI MSI has the capability to become a powerful new molecular technology for the biological, clinical, plant and microbiological sciences.