Patent ID: 7714276

Claim:
A method for analyzing the biological molecule content of a tissue sample in situ, comprising: a. collecting a sample of tissue from a subject into a first solution capable of maintaining integrity of the biological molecule; b. treating the sample with a second solution comprising one or more enzymes, or chemicals, capable of dissociating the tissue sample or of digesting the dissociated tissue sample into smaller fragments; c. treating the preparation from step b) with a matrix assisted laser desorption ionization imaging (MALDI) matrix solution; and d. analyzing the preparation from step c) by direct tissue (DT)-matrix assisted laser desorption ionization imaging (MALDI)-time of flight (TOF) measurement or DT-MALDI-TOF-TOF measurement; e. creating a data file utilizing the information from step d); f. entering the data from the data file of step e) into an external database to create a signature map for the tissue from which the data was obtained; and g. comparing the results from step d) with a signature map for normal tissue, wherein said normal tissue corresponds to, or is of the same tissue type, as the tissue from which the sample was obtained.