AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Applied Surface Science Wednesday Sessions
       Session AS+BI-WeA

Paper AS+BI-WeA9
Chemical and Biological Differentiation of Human Breast Cancer Cell Types Using Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 4:40 pm, Room 2005

Session: Imaging and Characterization of Biological Materials
Presenter: K. Wu, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Authors: K. Kulp, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
E. Berman, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
M. Knize, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
J. Felton, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
E. Nelson, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
J. Montgomery, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
L. Wu, University of California, Davis
D. Shattuck, University of California, Davis
K. Wu, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
We use time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) to image and classify individual cells on the basis of their characteristic mass spectra. Using statistical data reduction on the large data sets generated during TOF-SIMS analysis, similar biological materials can be differentiated on the basis of a combination of small changes in protein expression, metabolic activity and cell structure. We apply this technique to image and differentiate three carcinoma-derived human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, T47D, and MDA-MB-231). In homogenized cells, we show the ability to differentiate the cell types as well as cellular compartments (cytosol, nuclear, and membrane). These studies illustrate the capacity of TOF-SIMS to characterize individual cells by chemical composition, which could ultimately be applied to detect and identify single aberrant cells within a normal cell population. Ultimately, we anticipate characterizing rare chemical changes that may provide clues to single cell progression within carcinogenic and metastatic pathways.