Profiling tissue metabolism at near-cellular scales with ambient ionization mass spectrometry imaging

Our body is powered by small molecules, called metabolites, that serve as the precursors, intermediates, and products of cellular metabolism. Measuring a comprehensive profile of metabolites helps us understand how tissues function and can give us clues into how diseases impact tissue function. However, traditional methods for studying metabolites in biology involve breaking down tissue samples, which can overlook important details about how metabolites are distributed across different areas within the tissue. This can overlook important unique tissue micro-metabolic regions that may have altered metabolism due to a disease such as cancer. My research program aims to address this gap by developing novel technology that directly maps metabolite distributions in tissue samples. Specifically, we will construct custom metabolite imaging techniques to map cellular metabolism at the cellular scale and apply this technology to explore how altered metabolism in cancer can supress the function of our immune system and limit the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies. Overall, this research program will drive new science at the forefront of health research by providing new and important insights into spatially resolved tissue metabolism.