Vanderbilt nets $10M for mass spec imaging

The National Center for Research Resources has awarded Vanderbilt University $10.3 million over the next five years to establish a research resource for imaging mass spectrometry.

The research resource for imaging mass spectrometry will focus on developing new technologies--next-generation hardware, software and methods--for direct tissue profiling and imaging using mass spectrometry.

New biological applications will include high spatial resolution imaging of serotonin neurons in neurodevelopmental disorders, studies of cervical and brain cancers, studies of age-related macular degeneration and studies of tumor blood vessel development.

Richard Caprioli, PhD, director of the Mass Spectrometry Research Center at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tenn., is leading the program. The molecular view offered by imaging mass spectrometry will offer a new understanding of the biology of health and disease that will lead to novel treatment opportunities for patients, Caprioli said.

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