Mass spectrometry (MS) is unique among analytical technologies in its ability to directly measure individual molecular species in complex samples, allowing it to make significant contributions to our understanding of biological molecules. Although immunostaining can be used to localize specific molecules within a biological sample, this method depends upon the use of a surrogate marker of the molecule such as an antibody or other specialized reagent and is usually performed on one or at most only a few molecules of interest in a single experiment. Many of the commonly used in vivo imaging technologies produce high quality images, but these cannot be expressed as individual molecular images. One key aspect of imaging that remains a challenge is the effective integration of molecularly specific information as part of the image. 2Įach imaging modality has unique advantages and disadvantages that enable them to make contributions to research and clinical practice. During the previous century, many imaging technologies including microscopy, radiography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging have contributed greatly to the visualization of biological processes and to the practice of medicine.

Currently, the methods for imaging biological specimens encompass an extraordinarily large range of technologies, capitalizing on many different measurable physical phenomena to produce images that provide insight into the underlying biology within the specimen. 1 Fortunately, the ways in which scientists now visualize biological systems have significantly matured. One of the earliest technological examples, the application of light microscopy to the analysis of biological tissue in the 17 th century, ultimately led to the discovery of the cell as a key component of biology. New technologies designed to produce images of biological specimens have played a key role in the development of our modern understanding of biology. Similarly, as scientists labor to understand the fundamental nature of complex biological systems, they have continued to rely on visual information in the form of images to characterize and classify natural phenomena. Human beings are adept at discerning relevant information from complex systems by processing visual information.

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