Recent advancements in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging.

Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) is a robust tool for spatially resolved analysis of biomolecules in situ. Recent advances in high ionization-efficiency MALDI matrices, new matrix deposition procedures, and the development of high spatial-resolution and high sensitivity MS instruments continue to drive new applications of MALDI-MSI, along with other MSI techniques, which allow us to visualize and determine the regio-specific and temporal changes in proteins, peptides, lipids, drug molecules, and metabolites within the tissues, cells and microorganisms. These provide researchers with a new route to the discovery of potential biomarkers of human disease and elucidation of the underlying biology of metabolic regulation, thus bringing our understanding of human health to a new level.