Patent ID: 7964843

Claim:
A method for the three-dimensional imaging of a sample having a high, native water content by mass spectrometry, the method comprising: subjecting the sample to infrared LAESI mass spectrometry, wherein the LAESI-MS is performed using a LAESI-MS device directly on the sample wherein the sample does not require conventional chemical/physical pre-treatment and is performed at atmospheric pressure, wherein the LAESI-MS device is equipped with a 3D scanning apparatus for lateral and depth scanning of multiple points on a grid or following the cellular pattern or regions of interest that is defined on the sample, and for depth profiling of each point on the grid or following the cellular pattern or regions of interest by performing multiple ablations at each point, each laser pulse of said ablations ablating a deeper layer of the sample than a prior pulse, wherein each laser pulse has a laser energy that is absorbed by the native water in the sample, wherein the combination of lateral scanning and depth profiling provides three-dimensional molecular distribution imaging data.