Oliver Klein and his team has long-standing expertise in the field of MS based Imaging, using this advanced method for the histopathological determination of molecular (proteins, peptides, metabolites, gylcans), cellular or structural changes directly in tissue sections. This method allows the characterization of spatial and temporal molecular alterations, as a consequence of a diseased state or therapy-driven regenerative processes, and supports along that line the development of molecular classifiers for therapy stratification or diagnosis/prognosis tools. The lab is equipped with a variety of mass spectrometers, e.g. MALDI TOF Imaging MS, A, ESI-QTOF MS, nano HPLC, sprayer devices and a whole slide imaging scanner.
In the MSTARS consortium the lab of Oliver Klein uses imaging MS to address molecular alterations in tumor tissue sections label-free, supporting the development of predictors for diagnosis and treatments. They analyze untreated and treated patient-derived HNSCC models and patient tissue samples for molecular alterations of the tumor tissue, shedding light on changes in the microenvironment due to therapeutic interventions. In combination with machine learning approaches, these analyses result in classifiers that define treatment success or failure. In the long run, the analyses will be extended to other disease entities, such as ovarian cancer, neuroblastoma, prostate cancer, or myocarditis.

Benjamin Florian Hempel, Oliver Klein, Zhyiang Wu, Grit Nebrich, Sylwia Handzig