Spatial single cell metabolomics: Current challenges and future developments

Single cell metabolomics is a rapidly advancing field of bio-analytical chemistry which aims to observe cellular biology with the greatest detail possible. Mass spectrometry imaging and selective cell sampling (e.g. using nanocapillaries) are two common approaches within the field. Recent achievements such as observation of cell-cell interactions, lipids determining cell states and rapid phenotypic identification demonstrate the efficacy of these approaches and the momentum of the field. However, single cell metabolomics can only continue with the same impetus if the universal challenges to the field are met, such as the lack of strategies for standardisation and quanti-fication, and lack of specificity/sensitivity. Mass spectrometry imaging and selective cell sampling come with unique advan-tages and challenges which, in many cases are complemen-tary to each other. We propose here that the challenges specific to each approach could be ameliorated with collabo-ration between the two communities driving these approaches.