Towards high throughput and high information coverage: advanced single-cell mass spectrometric techniques

Mass spectrometry (MS) is attractive for single-cell analysis because of its high sensitivity, rich information, and large dynamic ranges, especially for the single-cell metabolome and proteome analysis. Efforts have been made to deal with the throughput and information coverage problems in typical manual single-cell MS techniques. In this review, advanced techniques to improve the automation and throughput for single-cell sampling and single-cell metabolome and proteome MS detection have been discussed. Furthermore, representative MS-based strategies that can increase the in-depth cellular information coverage and achieve the more comprehensive single-cell multiomics information during high throughput detection have been highlighted, providing an ongoing perspective of the MS performance for the single-cell research.

Automated summary

Mass spectrometry is utilized for single-cell analysis due to its sensitivity and dynamic ranges, with recent advancements focusing on improving automation and throughput to address challenges in manual techniques. Strategies have been developed to enhance information coverage and achieve comprehensive single-cell multiomics data during high throughput detection, providing a promising outlook for single-cell research.