Florian Barré – Postdoc Maastricht
Project description
The aim of my project is to integrate Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) to understand the biomolecular environment and dynamism at the biomaterial-tissue interface with a focus on bone regeneration. MSI is a unique interdisciplinary label-free technique that combines physics and chemistry to analyze the molecular composition of any biological sample. This technique allows us to understand biological processes from a sub- to multicellular level to whole organisms thank to a powerful combination of molecular specificity, sensitivity, and resolution. MSI emerged as a response to the demand of spatial information of biomolecules detected by conventional mass spectrometry by recording a full mass spectrum at given x and y coordinates for each laser shot across the sample. Using computer programs, dedicated software, and algorithms, images can be generated by selecting peaks of interest in the overall spectrum. The intensity differences of these peaks through the sample
allowed the mapping of selected masses in a complex tissue based on an assigned color scale. Nowadays, MSI is a widely used analytical technique worldwide and have been applied to many field or research topics such as cancer research, cardiology, rheumatology, pharmacology… Integrating MSI in the MDR project increases the possibilities to monitor tissue regeneration biomolecular mechanisms from single cell imaging to full body screening. MSI is also a robust tool for the characterization of functionalized surfaces or biomaterials such as polymers and hydrogels.