Research summary
Researchers use imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) to study the spatial distribution of many different surfaces. As Canada Research Chair in Spatial Omics, Dr. Melissa Passarelli is using IMS technologies to map the distribution of biomolecules (such as peptides, proteins or lipids) as well as pharmaceuticals in tissue. She is also conducting sub-cellular spatial omics experiments (which combine molecular analysis with spatial information about a cell’s localization in the tissue) to examine metabolomic changes that happen due to cellular activation or differentiation, drug perturbation and diseases.
Specifically, Passarelli and her research team are developing IMS-based diagnostics applications for cancer, using tumour characteristics to predict patient outcomes, and developing methods for testing treatments. They are also using single-cell omics signatures to characterize the role of macrophage polarization and T-cell activation in tissue inflammation and developing a way to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of drugs.