Caitlin Tressler, an IUP alumna from Johns Hopkins, will be visiting IUP to discuss internships and job opportunities on Friday, November 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room 127 Weyandt Hall. Come meet Caitlin to find out more about Johns Hopkins’ Applied Imagine Mass Spectrometry Core Facility and their job and internship opportunities.

The Applied Imaging Mass Spectrometry Core is a cutting-edge research facility located on the Johns Hopkins Hospital campus focusing on application of MALDI imaging for biomedical researchers. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) is the most common method of ionization used for imaging mass spectrometry. To date, this molecular tissue imaging technology has primarily been in the hands of highly specialized experts. Our goal is to bring this technology to the broader biomedical and medical research community to allow a wide range of scientists and physicians to utilize this tool in their own research studies. We aim to incorporate MALDI imaging into larger research programs as a powerful method to obtain both targeted and untargeted spatial-molecular information.

Herein, I will present current projects in our research program, utilizing this technology in a number of different fields. After a brief overview of the technology, I will discuss projects covering several fields including neuroscience, drug delivery, cancer metabolism, and infectious disease with a focus on how MALDI imaging can be utilized within these areas. These projects feature a range of molecular classes imaged including small molecules, lipids, and tryptic peptides, as well as different sample preparations, which are tailored and optimized for each project. Furthermore, I will discuss the different routes of data analysis, which allow us to use this powerful technology to the fullest extent in this new age of molecular microscopy.

Internship opportunities available at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine at the Applied Imaging Mass Spectrometry (AIMS) Core with Kristine Glunde and Caitlin Tressler. Summer interns will gain firsthand experience with MALDI workflows including cryosectioning, enzyme/matrix deposition, imaging, tandem MS for identification, and data analysis. Potential projects include cancer research, multimodality imaging, infectious disease research, drug studies, among others. Virtual internships are also available to work specifically on data analysis problems including coding with R and MatLab. Successful undergraduate students are given the opportunity to publish their work and present at national and international meetings.