Enhanced separation in ambient mass spectrometry imaging: towards quantification of pharmaceuticals

In the pharmaceutical industry, the development and application of good separation methods is important to study the distribution and the effect of a drug candidate. Mass spectrometry imaging is a technique that is often applied to study the distribution of a drug candidate. This technique is not always able to separate the drug candidate from other molecules that are present in the sample. Therefore, we need better separation techniques in addition to mass spectrometry imaging. This PhD research investigates novel technological developments as possible tools for the pharmaceutical industry to use. The techniques presented in this thesis allow for better separation of molecules that are structurally alike. Because these techniques separate the drug candidate better from other molecules in the sample, their addition to mass spectrometry imaging is used for quantification of two drug candidates in the last chapter of this thesis.