MALDI Matrix: Origins, Innovations, and Frontiers
Ran Wu, Rui Liu, Hao Hu, Liang Qin, Lulu Chen, Zhibin Bao, Jinxiang Fu, Hua Guo, Lei Wang, Anna Wang, Zihan Wang, Chenyu Yang, Xiangrui Cheng, Difan Chen, Haiqiang Liu, Yanping Jing, Shuai Guo, Yujie Fu, Xiaodong Wang

TL;DR
This paper reviews the development and use of MALDI matrices in mass spectrometry, highlighting their role in improving detection and analysis of biomolecules.
Contribution
The paper systematically classifies 467 MALDI matrices and identifies opportunities for future innovation in matrix design.
Findings
Only a few of the 467 developed MALDI matrices are widely used, indicating untapped potential.
Matrices significantly impact ionization efficiency, sensitivity, and salt tolerance in MALDI-MS.
Recent applications span proteomics, lipidomics, and nucleic acid analysis.
Abstract
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) and its imaging variant (MALDI-MSI) are pivotal analytical tools for biological sample analysis, allowing detection and visualization of diverse biomolecules. At the heart of MALDI-MS/MSI performance lies the crucial yet often empirically determined choice of matrix. A suitable matrix not only boosts analyte ionization efficiency but also enhances sensitivity, salt tolerance, and overall applicability, which are key for specific compound detection. To date, a cumulative total of 467 matrices have been successfully discovered and developed. However, merely a handful of them have achieved widespread utilization, which strongly suggests that there remains a substantial reservoir of untapped potential within this domain. This review offers a systematic and comprehensive overview of MALDI matrices over four decades…
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Taxonomy
TopicsMass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications · Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies · Advanced Proteomics Techniques and Applications
