Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41663575›Full record

ArticleNature methods2026

Deep-coverage single-cell metabolomics enabled by ion mobility-resolved mass cytometry.

Mingdu Luo, Tianzhang Kou, Yandong Yin, Shengyi Zhou, Xiaolan Zhu, Xinhao Zeng, Junhao Hu, Zheng-Jiang Zhu

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Nature methods, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Living single-cell metabolomicsChemical science · 2026
    Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Mingdu LuoInterdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China.
Tianzhang KouInterdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China.
Yandong YinInterdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China.
Shengyi ZhouInterdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China.
Xiaolan ZhuInterdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China.
Xinhao ZengInterdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China.
Junhao HuInterdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0699-1119
Zheng-Jiang ZhuInterdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China. jiangzhu@sioc.ac.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3272-3567

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 22425404
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Current single-cell metabolomics approaches are limited by insufficient sensitivity, robustness and metabolite coverage. We present an ion mobility-resolved mass cytometry technology that integrates high-throughput single-cell injection with ion mobility-mass spectrometry for multidimensional metabolomic profiling. Ion mobility-enabled selective ion accumulation and cell superposition-based amplification strategies substantially enhance sensitivity, robustness and overall analytical performance. Combined with our computational tool, MetCell, this technology allows high-throughput analysis while achieving exceptional profiling depth, detecting over 5,000 metabolic peaks and annotating approximately 800 metabolites per cell-representing a 3-fold to 10-fold improvement over existing methods. It offers attomole-level sensitivity and captures a broad dynamic range of metabolites within individual cells. Applied to 45,603 primary liver cells from aging mice, it enabled accurate cell-type and cell-subtype annotation and revealed distinct metabolic states and heterogeneity in hepatocytes during aging. This platform sets a new benchmark for high-throughput single-cell metabolomics, advancing our understanding of metabolic heterogeneity at single-cell resolution.

Indexed as

Ion Mobility SpectrometryMass SpectrometryMetabolomicsSingle-Cell AnalysisAnimalsHepatocytesMetabolomeMice

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.