Innovations in targeted and untargeted spatial omics

This thesis explores new ways to study biology by looking more closely at the building blocks of life called molecules inside our cells and tissues. The main tool used in mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) which can detect many different types of molecules and localise them all at once.

The work looks at two main approaches: one that gives a wide view of multiple different molecules at once and another that focuses only on a few selected molecules. As part of the thesis, new methods for utilising these approaches are presented, such as using MSI to study sugars in tissue, a new method (MALDI-IHC) to look at specific proteins, and ways to make these methods work on single cells.

Overall, this thesis shows how MSI is a powerful tool for mapping biology and can help us better understand the molecular details that contribute to both health and disease.