ToF-SIMS / Molecular Pathology
Dr. Sebastiaan Van Nuffel is a tenured Assistant Professor at M4I-IMS. Throughout his scientific career, he has built up extensive expertise in imaging mass spectrometry, specifically time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and its application in biological and medical research.
This technique allows for 3D chemical imaging by combining molecular ion imaging and depth profiling, which offers a novel, label-free way to investigate biological samples such as tissue sections and even single cells. The ability of imaging mass spectrometry to investigate the localization of specific native and non-native compounds in single cells and tissue sections in a label-free manner creates exciting, new avenues for biological, medical and pharmaceutical research.
There is a clear potential for ToF-SIMS in various fields of research, in particular lipid metabolism and signaling. Because metabolomic and elemental imaging does not provide all the information needed to understand a biological system, an important aim of his research group is the development of SIMS-based immunohistochemistry. By combining targeted proteomics with traditional molecular SIMS imaging and other imaging techniques, it should become possible to provide spatial information about the proteome and metabolome in a single tissue section.
For more information about this research group and potential vacancies, please visit www.sebastiaanvannuffel.com. If you would like to support Dr. Van Nuffel’s research group, please check out the Atoms2Anatomy Fund.
Current group members:
PhD candidate Kimberly Garcia
Dr. Mariya Shamraeva
Dr. Caroline Bouvier
Mariya Shamraeva
Sebastiaan van Nuffel
Kimberly Garcia
Caroline Bouvier (not on picture)