High-throughput mass spectrometry imaging of biological systems: Current approaches and future directions

In the past two decades, the power of mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) for the label free spatial mapping of molecules in biological systems has been substantially enhanced by the development of approaches for imaging with high spatial resolution. With the increase in the spatial resolution, the experimental throughput has become a limiting factor for imaging of large samples with high spatial resolution and 3D imaging of tissues. Several experimental and computational approaches have been recently developed to enhance the throughput of MSI. In this critical review, we provide a succinct summary of the current approaches used to improve the throughput of MSI experiments. These approaches are focused on speeding up sampling, reducing the mass spectrometer acquisition time, and reducing the number of sampling locations. We discuss the rate-determining steps for different MSI methods and future directions in the development of high-throughput MSI techniques.