Mass spectrometry imaging for clinical research - latest developments, applications, and current limitations

Area of Science:

• Clinical research
• Biomedical research
• Translational research

Background:

• Mass spectrometry (MS) is widely used in clinical research, including toxicology and personalized medicine.
• Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) shows increasing clinical acceptance due to technological advancements.
• Recent improvements enhance MSI's throughput, spatial resolution, and sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight recent developments and applications of MSI in translational research.
• To discuss current challenges hindering the clinical routine adoption of MSI.

Main Methods:

• Review of technological and methodological improvements in Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI).
• Analysis of MSI applications across diverse biomedical research fields.
• Identification of obstacles for MSI's clinical translation.

Main Results:

• MSI is increasingly utilized in oncology, neurology, cardiology, and rheumatology.
• Technological progress has significantly boosted MSI performance.
• MSI applications span from pre-clinical studies to clinical research.

Conclusions:

• MSI is a rapidly developing technique with broad biomedical applications.
• Challenges in data management, molecular identification, and reproducibility must be addressed.
• Overcoming these obstacles is crucial for establishing MSI in routine clinical practice.