Abstract

Tissue can be rapidly ablated by lasers with wavelength around λ = 3 µm, which is strongly absorbed by water [1]. Mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of the ablated material can subsequently provide rich chemical data about the molecular content of the tissue. In mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), spatially resolved molecular data is obtained from a sample by collecting multiple mass spectra. From these individual spectra, the spatial distribution of molecules of interest can be mapped. In this work, we report a single-cell level resolution mass spectrometry imaging platform based on laser ablation using a parametric 3 µm laser source and Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry (REIMS) [2]. The laser source is specifically developed to have high beam quality and sub-ns duration. This has allowed us to overcome previous ambient MSI spatial resolution limits, a key step to translating the benefits of MS analysis to clinical applications.

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