To date, most ICP – mass spectrometers are equipped with a “scanning-type” mass analyzer (quadrupole filter, sector-field MS). In the case of short transient signals, this may restrict elemental analysis to a single-nuclide approach. Recently, a new type of ICP-time-of-flight-MS (ICP-TOFMS) was developed, enabling quasi-simultaneous monitoring of the full mass spectrum (21 000 full mass spectra /s) and a fast read-out of the signals. Both enhanced mass resolution and a collision/reaction cell are available for overcoming spectral overlap. This type of instrumentation is ideally suited for emerging applications in the fields of metallomics and nanotechnology. The main goal of this project is to develop novel analytical methods for obtaining reliable temporally and spatially resolved multi-element information at high-speed at the micro- and nano-scale. Analysis of microsamples of biological fluids, elemental characterization of nanoparticles and individual cells and high-resolution 2D and 3D bio-imaging using laser ablation for sample introduction are the targets of this project. This approach provides access to a new type of information that is simply not available using other techniques, and it is the goal of this project to assess to what extent this new strategy provides novel means to address some of the pending questions about the role of metals in biological systems and the characteristics of nanomaterials.