Laser ablation-ICP-TOF mass spectrometer for advanced metallomic/elemental imaging of biomedical samples

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

With this high-end instrumentation grant (HEI), we are applying for funds to purchase a laser ablation (LA) inductively coupled plasma (ICP) time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometer (MS) for rapid, high-spatial-resolution, metallomic/elemental imaging of tissue sections or cells on microscopy slides. We will purchase an ESL imageBIO266 LA system coupled to a nu Vitesse ICP-TOF-MS instrument, as this combination offers high sensitivity, large linear range, high spectral resolution, high spatial resolution, and fast imaging speed. We are opting for a TOF instrument to allow our NIH-funded users multiplex detection of the distribution of several metals and elements simultaneously from their tissue sections or cells on slides. The ESL imageBIO266–nu Vitesse LA-ICP-TOF-MS instrument will be placed in the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (JHMI) Applied Imaging Mass Spectrometry (AIMS) Core facility, founded and directed by Dr. Glunde, the principal investigator of this HEI S10 application, who has 17 years of experience in mass spectrometry imaging. A group of 10 NIH- funded investigators will comprise a dedicated group of major users, as well as 2 minor users, whose projects will greatly benefit from the availability of the LA-ICP-TOF MS instrument. Each major user is requesting 7- 12.5% of instrument time. These major users are supported by a total of 16 NIH-funded research grants on whose research outcomes the ESL imageBIO266–nu Vitesse LA-ICP-TOF-MS instrument would have a transformative impact. Our user group is multidisciplinary and multi-departmental, spanning the Departments of Radiology, Physiology, Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology across the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, School of Engineering, and School of Public Health. Three department chairs (Radiology, Physiology, Gastroenterology/Hepatology) and two center directors (Cancer Center, Basic Biomedical Sciences Institute) across JHMI have committed significant institutional funds towards the operation of this instrument. The institutional support for this HEI S10 application includes the superb infrastructure of the JHMI AIMS Core facility, as well as covering running costs for the instrument, and providing dedicated technical personnel to help users with efficient sample preparation, instrument set-up and data analysis for their respective LA-ICP-TOF-MS tissue imaging applications. Online booking and billing for this instrument is available through the iLAB software in the AIMS Core. We are confident that having this instrument will be essential for advancing basic, translational, and clinical research in areas of great public health impact, including contrast agent development, image-guided anticancer therapies, regenerative medicine, infectious disease, host-pathogen interactions, copper metabolism in health and disease, implant medicine, zinc transporters in diabetes, nephrology, and chemical warfare agent countermeasures. This instrument has the capabilities of deepening our understanding of important disease processes which will ultimately lead to new and effective diagnostic tools and treatments.