In the context of atherosclerosis, recent studies use MSI as a novel strategy to visualize atherosclerotic plaque localization in the aorta of atherosclerotic mice such as LDL receptor knockout (LDLR–/–) fed a cholesterol-rich diet or apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE–/–) mice [7, 31], and to evaluate treatment effects on plaque formation and remodelling of the complex lipid components [7]. Here, APOE is linked to atherosclerosis.