Metabolites, lipids, proteins and genes together determine the physiological and pathological state of cells, but their spatial distributions do not always agree. Looking only at metabolomics misses upstream regulation; looking only at transcriptomics misses translation and modification. Multi-omics integrated imaging uses MSI to preserve tissue structure, registering the spatial maps of different molecular layers into the same coordinate system, enabling the 'ingredient–gene–phenotype' closed loop.
The application notes of the Neo-Source MSI DPI list metabolomics, spatial lipidomics and pathology diagnosis as directions; the two imaging sources keep the section intact after imaging for continued H&E or IHC, leaving room for multi-omics.
MSI provides in-situ acquisition capability of 'molecular species + coordinates', and is the core means of spatial metabolomics, spatial lipidomics and spatial proteomics. The Neo-Source MSI DPI has no polarity bias, and in both positive and negative ion modes can newly detect more than a hundred secondary metabolites, with overall signal enhanced by 1–3 orders of magnitude; MSI LDPI provides 2–3 μm matrix-free ambient imaging, entering single-cell/subcellular scale.
The two complement each other by resolution and polarity coverage: DPI 20–200 μm with no polarity bias fits tissue and local lesions; LDPI 2–3 μm matrix-free fits higher-resolution needs.
A common paradigm is 'MSI component map + H&E/IHC registration + transcriptomics comparison': using MSI to see metabolite/lipid distribution, histology to see structure, and transcriptomics to explain why the region has the distribution difference. In the Neo-Source DPI case, the characteristic molecule distribution highly matched the H&E nevus region and was verified by IHC, exactly an example of this integration.
At the data level, spatial metabolomics often uses statistics such as principal component analysis, spatial clustering and boxplots with t-tests to identify differential regions, then integrates with transcript/metabolic pathways to form an explainable closed loop.
Multi-omics integration has high requirements for resolution, registration accuracy and computing resources; conclusions need cross-validation with complementary methods such as microscopy, sequencing and chromatography-mass spectrometry. The core value of MSI lies in providing the registerable unified dimension of 'molecular space'.
Engineered, the two Neo-Source imaging sources are compatible with mainstream mass spectrometers from Agilent, AB SCIEX and Thermo, providing a self-developed titanium-alloy ion transfer tube that does not damage the sample at the front end and is detachable for cleaning, enabling stable and reproducible multi-omics integrated imaging.
To obtain detailed specifications, compatible models, or a quotation for the MSI LDPI / DPI full series imaging ion sources, visit the Neo-Source official website, or contact the official team for compatibility advice tailored to your mass spectrometer (Agilent / SCIEX / Thermo and other mainstream MS).