Where imaging mass spectrometry stands: here are the numbers

Introduction Imaging Mass Spectrometry (imaging MS) is a technology for spatial analytics that has experienced a significant uptake in recent years. A diverse set of applications and analytical platforms have been reported across the field of imaging MS for imaging molecules from many different chem...

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Published in:Metabolomics 2016-06, Vol.12 (6), p.1, Article 107
Main Authors: Palmer, Andrew, Trede, Dennis, Alexandrov, Theodore
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Introduction Imaging Mass Spectrometry (imaging MS) is a technology for spatial analytics that has experienced a significant uptake in recent years. A diverse set of applications and analytical platforms have been reported across the field of imaging MS for imaging molecules from many different chemical classes; but there is little quantified information about the overall composition of the field. Many questions exist, such as: is it used mainly for proteins or metabolites? How widespread is MALDI as compared to other types of ionisation sources (e.g., SIMS, DESI etc.)? What volume of data is generated worldwide? What are the leading application areas? Methods In order to obtain quantitative data to answer these and other questions, we have organized an online survey. Imaging MS practitioners were recruited and questioned about their backgrounds, application areas, which imaging MS technologies they use as well as providing information on what their current experimental throughput is. Results We found that imaging MS is more often used for metabolites/lipids/small molecules rather than for proteins/peptides. Moreover,  the use of high-resolution mass spectrometry technologies constitutes a significant proportion of the data generated. We estimate that worldwide data generation currently exceeds 1 TB per day so, as a field, imaging MS has entered the big-data era. Our survey respondents report a continued need for computational tools which are required to aid in translating the spectral data produced into molecular knowledge. Conclusion With the results of this survey ( http://metaspace2020.eu/survey2015 ), for the first time we can draw a picture of the diverse imaging MS community, identify areas of concentrated application and estimate the volume of data generated worldwide. This provides an insight into where cross-disciplinary developments need to be focussed in order to support this field through the coming years where there is an expectation of continued growth. The survey quantifies, for the first time, the breadth of technologies and applications that is spanned by imaging MS.
ISSN:1573-3882
1573-3890
DOI:10.1007/s11306-016-1047-0