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The Multiplexed Ion Beam Imaging microscope (MIBIscope) is a mass spectrometry-based imaging platform that facilitates the measurement of up to 54 biomolecules simultaneously on a single tissue.

The microscope uses secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to detect antibodies labelled with elemental mass tags. To detect the isotopes, the tissue is rastered, pixel by pixel, by primary charged ions. Secondary ions, released from the tissue, are measured by time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS), to generate an N-dimensional image (400 x 400 µm2 and 800 x 800 µm2 FOV).

Targets are stained and imaged simultaneously, eliminating artifacts related to sequential staining or image co-registration. The MIBIscope is compatible with all conventional sample types, including formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue, on gold-coated microscope slides. This is a significant advantage, as it enables the retrospective analysis of clinical specimens for which outcome and relevant metadata have already been collected.

The MIBIscope is the only multiplexed mass spectrometry imaging platform capable of detecting medium and low abundance proteins, imaging dozens of regions of interest (ROIs) in a single day and is capable of producing images with resolution comparable to or surpassing light microscopy.

Overview of MIBI experimental procedure and MIBItracker. Multiplexed image (bottom right) shows a single FOV with 29 biomarkers (Sean Bendall).

Overview of MIBI experimental procedure and MIBItracker. Multiplexed image (bottom right)
shows a single FOV with 29 biomarkers (Sean Bendall).

The MIBIscope will significantly impact on clinical medicine through supporting delivery of Good Clinical Practice (GCP) compliant digital pathology in Oxford. With a catalogue of over 200+ biomarkers validated with either IMC or MIBI, users will hit the ground running with established panels that are currently utilised on the Hyperion system.

Please enquire about system access/use with the DPOC facility team.