News & Events
Diana Kao
Posted on February 10, 2016
When
Date - February 10, 2016
1:00 pm
What
Ph.D. Literature Seminar – 751
Title: “If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what are two pictures worth: Merging mass spectrometry with microscopy”
Abstract:
Dr. Richard M. Caprioli at Vanderbilt University has developed an image fusion technique that blends detailed imaging and spatial resolution with chemical resolution in molecular tissue mapping. By combining the natural image patterns in optical microscopy as well as chemical image patterns in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI IMS), the final product image can be more than just the sum of its parts. The microscopy measurements can enhance the MALDI IMS resolution. By just analyzing a small tissue portion with both techniques, one can confidently predict areas in which only one of the two pieces was collected. Two pieces of information means mutually supportive data, which can highlight notable biological differences that might have otherwise been considered instrument artifacts. This technique is not just limited to MALDI IMS and microscopy but any instrument that provides imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This developing tool has great potential to enhance a doctor’s ability to start a patient on the road to recovery, and that is not something that can be quantified.