Single-Cell ICP-MS: A Tool to Explore Biological Diversity

Register Free: http://www.spectroscopyonline.com/spec_w/diversity

Event Overview:

Single-cell analysis by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (SC-ICP-MS) refers to a powerful technique that can provide unique information about the elemental composition of individual cells. This knowledge is of growing importance in fields of toxicology, molecular biology, and drug development. During the last decade, elemental analysis of single cells has benefitted from improvements in the ICP-MS hardware, such as increased sensitivity and reduced backgrounds (translating into lower detection limits) and scanning speed. However, a limiting factor for this application is the number of intact cells that can be transported into the plasma and subsequently detected from a sample. With recent development of dedicated hardware solutions enabling high transport efficiencies for single cells, considerable improvements have been achieved, but counting statistics can still be a limiting factor for some applications, especially when compared to fluorescence flow cytometry.

This presentation will cover the fundamentals of single-cell analysis by ICP-MS, with a focus on the analysis of cell suspensions. Sample preparation, data treatment, limitations, current approaches, and improvements in sample introduction systems will be discussed, together with some examples of the newest applications in the field and practical tips.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Understand how ICP-MS can be used to analyze the elemental content of individual cells
• See how this analysis can complement the results obtained by other techniques in the laboratory
• Discover how the analysis of elements in single cells can help to better understand biological processes
• Learn how to prepare samples and understand the fundamental concepts of data evaluation

Who Should Attend:

• Researchers investigating biological processes by means of cell cultures
• Analysts looking at expanding their analytical capabilities
• Lab leaders searching to improve their processes in bioprocessing

Speakers

Dr. Mario Corte Rodríguez
Post-Doctoral Researcher
University of Oviedo

Mario Corte’s research is focused on single-particle and single-cell elemental analysis of both metal-labelled cells and their elemental content. He obtained his PhD from the University of Oviedo in Spain in 2017. After gaining experience at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in Berlin and at the University of Vienna, he currently works as a post-doctoral researcher at the group of Mass Spectrometry and Biomedical Analysis (EMAB) at the University of Oviedo and the Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA).

Register Free: http://www.spectroscopyonline.com/spec_w/diversity