Imaging mass spectrometer and mass spectrometry data processing method

摘要

Specific-site extraction unit 24 extracts specific sites from microscopy images that are obtained by staining or fluorescence labeling of specific sites in a specimen 4. Based on the similarity between MS imaging data and the spatial distribution of the specific sites, cluster analysis unit 25 and division count determination processing unit 26 evaluate the similarity with the spatial distribution of all pixels that belong to one cluster when each of the pixels are categorized into a plurality of clusters. Since the specific sites are sites that include the same characteristic substance, clustering is judged to be appropriate if the similarity in spatial distribution is high. Hence, based on the correlation between spatial distributions, an appropriate division count for the cluster analysis is determined, and the result of the cluster analysis using the division count is output on a display unit 31.

主权项

1. A mass spectrometry data processing method, said method comprising:
generating mass spectrometry data that is obtained from each of a plurality of micro-regions that are set within a predetermined two-dimensional area on a specimen; extracting specific sites from microscopy images, which are obtained by labeling specific sites in said two-dimensional area or a portion thereof with a visualization marker; categorizing each of said micro-regions into a plurality of clusters based on similarity/dissimilarity of mass spectrometry data for each of the micro-regions so that micro-regions of high similarity belong to the same cluster; and determining the total number of clusters based on the results of a comparison between the spatial distribution of the specific sites that are extracted and the spatial distribution of all micro-regions that belong to one of the plurality of clusters into which each of said micro-regions are classified.