Cryogenic multi-omic imaging of inflammation and the tumour microenvironment

Nature is wonderfully complex but when things go wrong, for example as in diseases such as cancer, this complexity becomes a tremendous challenge.

A challenge that needs to be met on many levels and this project aims to address part of that challenge by developing new ways to study the chemical interactions between different types of cells in cancer.

Multi-omic mass spectrometry will be developed and performed on the same sample in the same cryogenically preserved state by combining secondary ion mass spectrometry, using new water cluster based ion beams and infrared matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation (MALDI) mass spectrometry where the captured water in the frozen sample can act as a natural ´matrix´ compared to the organic acids usually added to dried samples for ultraviolet MALDI analysis..

This novel implementation of these complementary techniques will be developed and applied to the imaging of model tumours of increasing complexity and to human tissue samples to study the interplay between inflammation and cancer cells in the tumour microenvironment providing a picture of metabolite, lipid and protein distribution on a cellular scale..

The project will introduce new analytical approaches and capabilities leading to new knowledge regarding tumour initiation, progression and potential treatment.