

The TOF-SIMS analyses were performed both in the positive and negative ion mode with a lateral resolution of 5–9 μm/pixel using a primary ion dose density (PIDD) of 2–8 × 10 12 ions/cm 2, which is comparable to our previous study where the ion dose density was optimized to account for any surface segregation. While matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) can also provide images with similar resolution, SIMS provides benefits due to the minimal sample preparation and also potential analysis speed as the ion beam is scanned compared with stepping the sample stage in most MALDI instruments. Beams such as (CO 2) 6 k + have been used to image tissue samples from both mammals, including humans, as well as in bacterial samples, single cells, and worms. Particularly, progress in the detection of biomolecules has been made through the advent of gas cluster ion beams (GCIBs) that are able to desorb higher mass compounds with reduced fragmentation.
SIMS 4 CANCER MOD SKIN
Conventional ion beams, typically Bi 3 +, have been employed in a number of skin studies where the focus has been on penetration of compounds into skin, aging, and allergic response. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) has become increasingly capable of detecting complex biomolecules in cells and tissue.

very little is known about lipidomic changes in skin cancers. However, due to the complexity of the lipid metabolism, understanding the specific metabolic abnormalities for different types of cancer and their microenvironment is warranted for developing new, successful therapies.ĭespite the increasing interest in the lipidome of cancers in general, 9 9. There is evidence that limiting the fatty acid availability can control the proliferation of the cancer cells, and thus may serve as a future target for cancer therapies. Unlike normal tissue, cancer cells produce FAs de novo in order to promote the tumorigenesis. Cancer cells are highly proliferative and fatty acids (FA) are essential for the synthesis of the cell membranes as well as signaling molecules. Even though the previous focus has mostly been in the glucose metabolism, the lipid metabolism is also altered in cancer cells. Understanding the abnormalities in cancer cell metabolism has led to the development of new cancer therapies. where the cancerous tissue and surrounding healthy skin is removed, sectioned, and analyzed in real time to minimize the amount of tissue removed while making sure that all cancerous tissue has been excised. The gold standard in the treatment of aggressive BCCs is Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS), 6 6. A feature of the aggressive subtype of BCC is that the tumor islands are small and spread through the tissue with a less clear tumor margin compared to less aggressive tumors. Often, the subtypes are mixed and within aggressive BCCs, it is common to find areas with less aggressive growth patterns. BCCs can be divided into less and more aggressive subtypes according to their histopathological growth patterns. Sphingomyelin lipids were found to be located in stroma containing inflammatory cells.īCCs have been thought to originate in the basal cell layer of the epidermis and hair follicles. A closer inspection of the distribution of individual ions, selected based on the MAF loadings, showed heterogeneity in signal between different microtumors, suggesting the potential of chemically grading the aggressiveness of each individual tumor island. Maximum autocorrelation factor (MAF) analysis highlighted chemical differences between the tumors and the surrounding stroma. Their distributions were then imaged in the tissue that contained small tumor islands that were histologically classified as more/less aggressive. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry using a (CO 2) 6 k + gas cluster ion beam allowed a wide range of lipid species to be detected. In this focused and histology-guided study, tissue from a patient diagnosed with aggressive BCC was analyzed by imaging mass spectrometry in order to probe the chemistry of the complex tumor environment. In fact, it is as common as the sum of all other skin malignancies combined and the incidence is rising. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin malignancy.
