Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is currently receiving large attention from the mass spectrometric community, although its use is not yet well known in the clinic. As matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI)-IMS can show the biomolecular changes in cells as well as tissues, it can be an ideal tool for biomedical diagnostics as well as the molecular diagnosis of clinical specimens, especially aimed at the prompt detection of premalignant lesions much earlier before overt mass formation, or for obtaining histologic clues from endoscopic biopsy. Besides its use for pathologic diagnosis, MALDI-IMS is also a powerful tool for the detection and localization of drugs, proteins, and lipids in tissue. Measurement of parameters that define and control the implications, challenges, and opportunities associated with the application of IMS to biomedical tissue studies might be feasible through a deep understanding of mass spectrometry. In this focused review series, new insights into the molecular processes relevant to IMS as well as other field applications are introduced.
Keywords: Biological markers; Chemoprevention; Imaging mass spectrometer; Premalignant gastrointestinal lesions; Spectrometry, mass, matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization.