Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Assessment of IDH Mutation Status in Human Glioma

<p>Glioma is a malignant brain tumor. In some gliomas, mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) result in an abnormal accumulation of a unique biomarker called 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG). Here, we performed two different tandem mass spectrometry measurements to detect IDH mutations in human glioma smears. Product-ion scanning and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) were performed using desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) to assess mutation status of IDH. The intensity of 2HG was recorded against glutamate (Glu) as the reference biomarker. With both methods, a clear separation between IDH-mutant (mut) and IDH-wildtype (wt) samples (<i>p</i> < 0.0001) was observed despite the short analysis time. DESI tandem mass spectrometry demonstrates potential as an intraoperative diagnostic tool to delineate tumor boundaries and improve patient outcomes.</p>