Mass Spectrometry Imaging-Based Proteomic and Metabolomic Profiling of Cancers and Infectious Diseases

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) remains a leading technique for untargeted spatial mapping of endogenous biomolecules and exogenous therapeutics in cancers and infectious diseases. By providing molecularly specific distribution data, MSI enables a deeper understanding of oncogenesis, pathogenesis, signaling pathways, and the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of therapeutics. The ability to visualize the cellular localization of proteins, metabolites, small-molecule drugs, and macromolecular therapeutics has profound implications for drug development and disease research.

Given the growing interest in this indispensable technology, recent years have witnessed significant developments in both the technical methodologies and theoretical advancements of MSI, further expanding its applications in biomedical sciences.

Novel designs such as MALDI-2, nano-DESI (Nanospray Desorption Electrospray Ionization) and TIMS (trapped ion mobility spectrometry) have remarkably improved sensitivity, resolution, and depth of coverage in proteomics and metabolomics studies. With these technical breakthroughs, MSI-based research interests have expanded from localization of small molecules in crude tissue homogenates to single-molecule resolution of structurally diverse macromolecules in complex tissue environments. Furthermore, the MSI technique could be integrated with other multi-omics approaches and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven image analysis to achieve comprehensive insights into the biology of cancer and infectious diseases.

The aim of the current Research Topic is to include original research articles and review articles that cover recent research advances in proteomics and metabolomics investigations of cancer and infectious diseases, utilizing MSI as one of the major, but not necessarily the only one, characterization methods.

Submissions will be focusing on, but are not limited to, the following:

• Technical improvements of mass spectrometry imaging protocols, including (but not limited to) sample preparation, ionization efficiency, spatial resolution, single-cell MSI, three-dimensional imaging, high-throughput and automation, and data processing and analysis.

• Mass spectrometry imaging of conventionally difficult targets, such as post-translational modifications, protein-small molecule, protein-protein, and protein-nucleic acid interactions

• Mass spectrometry imaging on drug metabolism and PK/PD studies, metabolic pathway mapping, and biomarker discovery in cancers and infectious diseases

• Mass spectrometry imaging in complex and challenging tissue environments such as bone marrow, brain, breast, and tumors.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: mass spectrometry imaging, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, multi-omics, cancer biology, infectious diseases, antibiotics, biomarker, PK/PD

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.