Laser ablation sample transfer for mass spectrometry imaging

Infrared laser ablation sample transfer (IR-LAST) is a novel ambient sampling technique for mass spectrometry. In this technique, a pulsed mid-IR laser is used to ablate materials that are collected for mass spectrometry analysis; the material can be a solid sample or deposited on a sample target. After collection, the sample can be further separated or analyzed directly by mass spectrometry. For IR-LAST sample transfer tissue imaging using MALDI mass spectrometry, a tissue section is placed on a sample slide and material transferred to a target slide by scanning the tissue sample under a focused laser beam using transmissionmode (back side) IR laser ablation. After transfer, the target slide is analyzed using MALDI imaging. The spatial resolution is approximately 400 μm and limited by the spread of the laser desorption plume. IR-LAST for MALDI imaging provides several new capabilities including ambient sampling, area to spot concentration of ablated material, multiple ablation and analysis from a single section, and direct deposition on matrix-free nanostructured targets.