Multi mode Mass Spectrometric Imaging of Nanomaterials and their Biochemical Effects

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With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professors Vachet and Rotello and their groups at University of Massachusetts, Amherst are developing new approaches to tracking nanomaterials in biological samples. Nanomaterials are increasingly present in commercial products, and have potential to improve the efficacy of therapeutics through their use as drug delivery agents. To properly understand the potential biological consequences of such materials, new measurement methods are needed that can report on the distributions and biochemical effects of nanomaterials. Professors Rotello and Vachet are developing new imaging tools that can simultaneously monitor the distribution of nanomaterials in tissues while also providing site-specific information about their biochemical effects. The proposed imaging methods rely on sophisticated laser-based mass spectrometry which can also provide fundamental information about the interactions of light with nanomaterials. The new methods developed in this proposal can also provide information about how nanomaterial properties, such as size and composition, affect biochemistry and their distributions in vivo. A diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students involved in the project obtain training in cutting-edge mass spectrometry and nanotechnology, two areas of broad importance.The Vachet/Rotello group is developing new imaging approaches that use matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) to simultaneously track nanomaterials, their associated molecules, and biomolecules (e.g. lipids, metabolites) in tissues. They are exploring how the MALDI matrix and the nanomaterial core material can work synergistically to enhance detection. They are also developing new computational approaches to fuse images obtained by laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma MS (LA-ICP MS) and MALDI MS. Target test applications focus on the effects of nanoparticle-stabilized capsules on tissue biochemistry. The PIs provide regular updates of their research and other related research on the National Nanomanufacturing Network (NNN) website, www.internano.org.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.