The process of IMC begins with the preparation of tissue sections, which are then stained with antibodies conjugated to rare earth metal isotopes. These metal tags are chosen because they do not interfere with the biological material and can be precisely detected using mass spectrometry. The stained tissue is ablated by a laser, releasing the metal isotopes into a plasma torch. The isotopes are then identified and quantified by a mass cytometer, allowing the spatial distribution of multiple proteins to be mapped with high resolution.
