MALDI-TOF molecular images and microscopic histology come together

The MALDI Molecular Imager from Bruker Daltonik GmbH performs matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry directly on tissue sections. Researchers can use the instrument to obtain spatially resolved measurements of peptide, protein and lipid profiles in tissue sections. These molecular images are useful for studying molecular signatures specific to certain tissue types such as tumors.

However, in pathology research it important to understand how molecular information correlates to the tissue’s histology. This time consuming task has required researchers using the Bruker instrument to switch back and forth between MALDI molecular images and microscope views.

To solve this bottleneck, Bruker has collaborated with Carl Zeiss MicroImaging Gmbh to integrate the Zeiss MIRAX Slide Scanner into the MALDI Molecular Imager. The integrated instrument allows the user to view a full-resolution microscopic image of the histology overlaid with the molecular and spectral information from the MALDI imager.

The companies plan to introduce the integrated  instrument at the German Pathology Society meeting in June.

Image: The integrated instrument will merge histological information (A) with the MALDI molecular image resulting in an overlay as seen in (B).