IR LDI mass spectrometry imaging
The project aims at the development of an infrared scanning microprobe MALDI mass spectrometer for bioanalytical imaging of tissue.
For this purpose a novel device will be constructed. Know-how from prior UV-SMALDI-MS experiments of our workgroup helps to optimize this development.
The new setup will be capable of scanning biomolecules in real-life samples of tissue with a lateral resolution of nearly 3µm. The shift from ultraviolet to infrared emitting lasers for desorption allows better access to a wider range of biological substances (nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids). The utilization of IR lasers also grants larger penetration depths.
Evaluation of the acquired image data of tissue sections by means of state-of-the-art bioinformatical strategies is expected to produce a large amount of additional information to biomedical studies.
The direct link to the topics of the National Genome Research Network (NGFN) is given through potential applications of IR-SMALDI-MS, e.g. investigation of the mechanisms of bacterial invasion into cells and tissue (infection and inflammation).
If you have any questions or comments regarding this project, please feel free to contact us or have a look at the website of the NGFN.