Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Use of Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/
Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry
(MALDI-IMS) in the Development of Novel
Small Molecule Drugs
Jihai Pang and Timothy L. Madden
Abstract
Modern drug research and development includes the study of drug distribu-
tion and its metabolites within the biological organ and tissues. The high performance
liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS/MS) is
currently widely employed in the study of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic
characterization of new drug molecules.
Today, the newest frontier, which adds the mass spectrometry to the arsenal of
tools for the direct analysis of tissue biopsies and molecular diagnosis, is typically
called Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry
(MALDI-IMS). This powerful analytical tool is a new molecular imaging tech-
nique which in essence takes a mass spectral “snapshots” of intact tissue sections,
revealing how the macromolecules, such as peptides and protein, and small molec-
ular drugs and their metabolites are spatially distributed within a given biological
tissue sample. In this chapter, MALDI-IMS technology is presented as well as
applications of such technology in drug development and in clinical pharmacology.
It provides direct, unambiguous evidence for the presence of drug substance in
tissue sections.
J. Pang (
*
) T.L. Madden
Department of Experimental Therapeutics , Pharmaceutical Development Center ,
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 8000 El Rio Street,
Houston , TX 77054 , USA
e-mail: jipang@mdanderson.org
