Systems and methods for an adjustable sample floor for ultrafast signal washout are disclosed. In an embodiment. A target support configured to adjustably support a target within a sample chamber may include: a support frame that may configured to be inserted into the sample chamber, a support platform that may be disposed within the support frame, and a platform adjustment system that may be coupled to the support frame and the support platform. The platform adjustment system may be configured to adjust at least one of: a position and an orientation of the support platform relative to the support frame when the support frame is inserted into the sample chamber.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to reagents and their use for elemental imaging mass spectrometry of biological samples. The embodiments comprising methods for quantifying one or more analytes within a sample, comprising the steps of: (a) providing the sample, wherein the one or more analytes are immobilized to a sample carrier, wherein the sample has been labelled with one or more mass tags comprising one or more labelling atoms, (b) performing mass cytometry on the sample to determine the level of the one or more labelling atoms, wherein the level of the one or more labelling atoms corresponds to the copy number of the one or more analytes.

Laser ablation devices and methods including laser ablation are provided. The ablation devices can include a deep UV laser. Dual-laser ablation devices are also provided. Biomolecules can be ablated using a combination of deep UV laser and nanoelectrospray, resulting in protonated sample molecules.

A system for facilitating automated handling using laser ablation system is described that includes a sample generation system. In an embodiment, the sample generation system can include a sample chamber with a sample chamber body, a transmission window and a sealing member coupled to the sample chamber body, an inlet conduit extending through the sample chamber body and intersecting a sidewall of the interior space, and an outlet conduit extending through the sample chamber body and intersecting at least one of the sidewall of the interior or a lower surface of the sample chamber body; a placement system including a frame, and an actuator assembly coupled to the frame, where the actuator assembly is configured to place the sample adjacent to the sample chamber for laser ablation; and a laser configured to produce a laser beam that is propagated along a beam path to irradiate the sample.

A method and system for sampling a solid sample material can include the step of mounting the sample material on a support. A sample surface is coated with a surface treatment composition in a dry deposition process. A solvent supply conduit for supplying solvent to the sample surface and a solvent exhaust conduit for withdrawing solvent from the sample surface can be provided. Solvent is flowed from the solvent supply conduit to the surface treatment composition and the sample surface such that the solvent contacts the surface treatment composition. A laser beam is directed from a laser source to the sample and the surface treatment composition. The laser beam will ablate the sample and the surface treatment composition in portions intersected by the laser beam. Ablated sample material enters the solvent liquid and will be transported with the solvent away from the sample surface through the solvent exhaust conduit.

Imaging systems and methods, referred to herein as surface ablation lathe tomography (SALT), may be capable of providing whole organ tomography to provide 3D imaging. The system may provide a UV source that excites a sample, and a camera may capture imaging of fluorescent emission cause by the excitation. The tissue sample may be treated or stained with an imaging agent, such as fluorescent markers with fluorescently-tagged antibodies. The sample may also be infused with and/or embedded in paraffin wax. The tissue sample embedded in paraffin may be placed on a rotating mechanism that rotates, while the UV source excites a desired region and the camera captures imaging of a thin surface layer or shell of the sample. The system may also provide an ablation mechanism, such as a microtome blade or lathe, to ablate surface of the sample during rotation to allow imaging of subsequent layers of the sample. Once the sample has been fully imaged, a 3D map of the tissue sample, which may be an entire organ, can be provided.

Provided is, in a sample of a cell or a micro region at a position designated in a microscope image of a tissue section, an apparatus and a method for analyzing a biomolecule, which are capable of collecting and analyzing a biomolecule in a single cell or in a micro region without damaging surrounding cells.

A method and system for sampling a solid sample material can include the step of mounting the sample material on a support. A sample surface is coated with a surface treatment composition in a dry deposition process. A solvent supply conduit for supplying solvent to the sample surface and a solvent exhaust conduit for withdrawing solvent from the sample surface can be provided. Solvent is flowed from the solvent supply conduit to the surface treatment composition and the sample surface such that the solvent contacts the surface treatment composition. A laser beam is directed from a laser source to the sample and the surface treatment composition. The laser beam will ablate the sample and the surface treatment composition in portions intersected by the laser beam. Ablated sample material enters the solvent liquid and will be transported with the solvent away from the sample surface through the solvent exhaust conduit.

A carrier for holding a biological sample includes a substrate. The substrate is configured to engage a first sample chamber comprising a first opening characterized by a first opening diameter or a second sample chamber comprising a second opening characterized by a second opening diameter that is greater than the first opening diameter. The substrate includes an upper portion, a lower portion, and an intermediate portion disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion. The lower portion is disposed below the upper portion and comprises a bottom surface configured to receive a biological sample. The intermediate portion is characterized by a first substrate diameter and the lower portion is characterized by a second substrate diameter that is less than the first substrate diameter.

A laser ablation device is provided with: a laser light source that outputs a femtosecond pulse laser beam; an optical system that includes a first mirror rotatable about a first axis, a second mirror rotatable about a second axis, a first driving source for rotating the first mirror about the first axis, and a second driving source for rotating the second mirror about the second axis, and that reflects the laser beam from the laser light source toward a sample by the first mirror and the second mirror; and an irradiation controller that, on the basis of the two-dimensional coordinate position of an analysis position, controls the first driving source and the second driving source to irradiate the analysis position with the laser beam.