Laying the Groundwork for Web-based Elemental Imaging Software: The MicroAnalysis Toolkit

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

PROJECT SUMMARY Living organisms use fluxes in chemical elements to control fundamental processes such as metabolism, homeostasis, the cell cycle, and fertilization. Up to 60 chemical elements can be detected in the human body, 25 of which are essential. Dysregulation of essential elements underpins neurological disorders, angiogenesis and tumor formation in cancer, and immune response to infectious disease. Chemical elements are used in disease diagnosis and treatment; gadolinium is a common magnetic resonance contrast agent, metal-based nanoparticles show promise for drug delivery and platinum and arsenic compounds are chemotherapeutics. Elemental imaging (EI) provides data for both the concentration and distribution of multiple chemical elements in situ in the form of an image; accelerating understanding of a diverse range of bio-metallic mechanisms from environmental to biomedical. EI furthers the NIGMS goal to support basic research that increases our understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. However, EI techniques are challenging to both access and master. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is a laboratory-based EI technique that it is increasingly applied to biomedical applications with comparable or lower detection limits than other EI techniques. The Dartmouth Trace Element Analysis Core (TEAC) is an established and highly regarded shared resource that supports researchers throughout the US, is staffed by experienced researchers in EI and ICP-MS, using state- of-the-art instrumentation and has excellent links to industry partners. In 2021 the TEAC expanded upon the current ad hoc service to establish a dedicated biomedical EI user facility; the Biomedical National Elemental Imaging Resource (BNEIR) (1R24GM141194). Our aim is to broaden access to EI techniques in biomedicine by building upon the TEAC’s existing infrastructure, administration, instrumentation, and expertise. We consult with Dr Sam Webb, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, to further adapt his freely available EI software, the MicroAnalysis Toolkit, for LA-ICP-MS. Building upon the success of BNEIR and the collaboration with the creator of the MicroAnalysis Toolkit to broaden interoperability of this popular EI software, the aim of this administrative supplement is to complete the groundwork necessary to transition the MicroAnalysis Toolkit to a web-based interface, where users can access their data from local sources or online repositories and perform data visualization and analysis on a device independent platform. The ability to run the MicroAnalysis Toolkit from an online interface would (1) remove financial barriers to, and simplify data processing for, BNEIR users with limited experience in EI; (2) streamline the data pipeline for numerous X-ray data sources; (3) make FAIR databases for legacy EI data possible: preventing legacy data from being lost; (4) establish a standard for EI software interoperability in a rapidly growing analytical field, and (5) pave the way for online interfaces for other EI software applications.