Polyatomic ion sources such as Bi3+ and C60+ allow the analysis of small biomolecules such as lipids, cholesterol, small metabolites, ... The distribution of these molecules in a tissue section can be imaged with sub-micrometer lateral resolution. A major advantage of S-SIMS imaging is that no additional sample preparation is needed after the preparation of the tissue sections. The machine is equipped with a cooling stage that enables the sample to be cooled down during analysis.