Multi mode Mass Spectrometric Imaging of Nanomaterials and their Biochemical Effects

在化学系化学测量和成像计划的支持下，马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校的瓦谢和罗特洛教授及其团队正在开发追踪生物样品中纳米材料的新方法。纳米材料越来越多地出现在商业产品中，并有可能通过用作药物递送剂来提高治疗效果。为了正确理解这类材料的潜在生物学后果，需要新的测量方法来报告纳米材料的分布和生化效应。罗特洛教授和瓦谢教授正在开发新的成像工具，这种工具可以同时监测纳米材料在组织中的分布，同时还提供关于它们的生化效应的特定部位的信息。所提出的成像方法依赖于复杂的基于激光的质谱学，它还可以提供关于光与纳米材料相互作用的基本信息。该提案中开发的新方法还可以提供有关纳米材料的特性，如尺寸和组成，如何影响生物化学及其在体内分布的信息。参与该项目的不同本科生和研究生接受了尖端质谱学和纳米技术这两个广泛重要领域的培训。Vachet/Rotello小组正在开发新的成像方法，使用基质辅助激光解吸/电离质谱仪(MALDI MS)同时跟踪纳米材料、它们的相关分子和组织中的生物分子(如脂质、代谢物)。他们正在探索MALDI基质和纳米材料核心材料如何协同工作以增强检测。他们还在开发新的计算方法来融合激光消融电感耦合等离子体质谱(LA-ICPMS)和MALDI MS获得的图像。目标测试应用专注于纳米颗粒稳定胶囊对组织生物化学的影响。PIs在国家纳米制造网络(NNN)网站www.interano.org上定期更新他们的研究和其他相关研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.