MALDI

Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) is a mass spectrometry (MS) imaging technology designed to provide information-rich molecular visualization data direct from samples prepared with a matrix. MALDI provides excellent spatial resolution across a wide variety of applications from small molecule to peptide and small protein applications in a well-established MS imaging approach.

With the MALDI imaging technique, the matrix coated sample (often a thin tissue section) is moved in the x,y dimensions while individual mass spectra are recorded as a laser desorbs molecules from the surface – so the distribution of many analytes of a wide range of classes can be recorded in-situ directly, all at the same time. MALDI can be paired with the complementary imaging technique, Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI) for full spectrum molecular imaging. As DESI requires no matrix addition, the order of analysis allows for DESI followed by matrix addition and subsequent MALDI analysis on the same sample.

MALDI is an available option for both the SYNAPT XS and the Cyclic IMS P20.