Bio-imaging mass spectrometry techniques reveal molecular details about compl...(-doctoral fellow Mitchell Parry and grad...),Health

Date:9/25/2008

-doctoral fellow Mitchell Parry and graduate students Richard Moffitt and Peter Siy are providing software systems to BIMS center users. The systems acquire the thousands of ion spectra collected from every tissue slide matrix, perform quality control and visualize the distribution of ions on the tissue matrix. The researchers then use data mining methodologies including principal component analysis, independent component analysis and multivariate analysis to identify and compare ions of interest present in different locations.

As a cell biologist, Merrill sees potential in the ability of mass spectrometry imaging to detect all of the important molecules that control cell behavior instead of just a few. Another advantage to mass spectrometry is the ability to test whether all of the cells are being affected in the same ways.

His laboratory uses mass spectrometry to profile sphingolipids, a family of thousands of metabolites that are involved in cell-cell communication and intracellular signaling. He also studies the types and amounts of these metabolites that control whether cells grow or die.

"With mass spectrometry, we have not only been able to profile these compounds, but also to find new metabolites we think are important in inflammation, aging and cancer," added Merrill.

The BIMS center at Georgia Tech includes researchers like Merrill who propose biological and clinical problems that may be solved by mass spectrometry imaging. It also brings together researchers who are improving current mass spectrometry imaging technologies and developing innovative techniques, and researchers who are analyzing the large sets of complicated data collected by mass spectrometry systems.

With the advances in software and hardware, the use of mass spectrometry in the life sciences promises to become even more prevalent and diversified for systems biology research.

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Contact: Abby Vogel avogel@gatech.edu 404-385-3364 Georgia Institute of Technology Research News Source:Eurekalert

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