Advancing spatial-omics through Pyxis, vendor-neutral software for ion mobility mass spectrometry imaging data...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Metabolomics
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) enables simultaneous analyte measurement in tissues.
• Complex MSI datasets often contain isobaric species, complicating analysis.
• Ion mobility (IM) spectrometry enhances MSI by providing an orthogonal separation dimension.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss the benefits and challenges of ion mobility-mass spectrometry imaging (IM-MSI) data analysis in metabolomics.
• To introduce Pyxis, a novel software solution for IM-MSI data analysis.
• To demonstrate the capabilities of Pyxis using experimental data.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ion mobility spectrometry coupled with mass spectrometry imaging (IM-MSI).
• Developed and applied Pyxis, a vendor-neutral software for IM-MSI data analysis.
• Analyzed data from mouse kidney tissue and THP-1 monocytes.

Main Results:

• IM-MSI provides crucial orthogonal separation for complex MSI datasets.
• Challenges in IM-MSI data analysis include data complexity and lack of comprehensive software.
• Pyxis effectively processes and visualizes multidimensional IM-MSI data.

Conclusions:

• IM-MSI is a powerful technique for metabolomic applications when data analysis challenges are addressed.
• Pyxis offers a comprehensive solution for the entire IM-MSI data analysis workflow.
• The demonstrated capabilities of Pyxis highlight its potential to advance IM-MSI research.