Abstract
The spatial distribution of chemical elements in different types of samples is an important field in several research areas such as biology, paleontology or biomedicine, among others. Elemental distribution imaging by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) is an effective technique for qualitative and quantitative imaging due to its high spatial resolution and sensitivity. By applying this technique, vast amounts of raw data are generated to obtain high-quality images, essentially making the use of specific LA–ICP–MS imaging software that can process such data absolutely mandatory. Since existing solutions are usually commercial or hard-to-use for average users, this work introduces LA-iMageS, an open-source, free-to-use multiplatform application for fast and automatic generation of high-quality elemental distribution bioimages from LA–ICP–MS data in the PerkinElmer Elan XL format, whose results can be directly exported to external applications for further analysis. A key strength of LA-iMageS is its substantial added value for users, with particular regard to the customization of the elemental distribution bioimages, which allows, among other features, the ability to change color maps, increase image resolution or toggle between 2D and 3D visualizations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13321-016-0178-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Advances in technology, including software, new generations of instruments, and the fastest electronic devices, allow the application of image-forming techniques that capture the complexity of a sample in a single image by considering a dynamic or static system
For a better comprehension of the use of the software, all steps regarding image edition are properly addressed in Additional file 4, and the dataset used in the case study can be found in Additional file 2
Case study dataset A correct image analysis depends on a good balance between laser speed and ICP–MS acquisition
Summary
Advances in technology, including software, new generations of instruments, and the fastest electronic devices, allow the application of image-forming techniques that capture the complexity of a sample in a single image by considering a dynamic or static system. Such techniques include electron/ion microscopy, satellite imaging, tomography, NMR and, more recently, mass spectrometry based on molecular or elemental-based techniques [1,2,3,4]. The main strategies of MSI involve matrix-assisted laser desorption/ In this context, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) has been widely used to qualitative or quantitative imaging [6,7,8,9,10]. These data are subsequently converted to pixels and an image is
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