Acquisition of Liquid Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry to Foster Research-Intensive Learning at the University of West Georgia

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A grant has been awarded to the University of West Georgia (UWG) under the direction of Dr. Satyanarayana Swamy-Mruthinti for the acquisition of liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to foster a research-intensive learning environment at this predominantly undergraduate institution. At the heart of this proposal are the ongoing research projects in the departments of Biology and Chemistry. They are (i) study of protein stability, folding and the role of molecular chaperones; (ii) separation and characterization of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; (iii) separation, identification and characterization of micorrhyzal fungal membrane sterols (iv) separation and identification of polyamines across vertebrate phyla and identification of sites of phosphorylation in the gastrointestinal cells induced by nicotine, and (v) separation and characterization of oligomers of chitosan to study corneal stomal swelling. In all these projects, liquid chromatography is will be used to separate different complex molecules, and tandem mass spectrometry used to characterize them. Tandem mass spectrometry is becoming a ubiquitous tool across many disciplines of science, particularly in biology and chemistry. Acquisition of this instrumentation will enhance the research and teaching capabilities of UWG. Being a comprehensive regional university, the student body of UWG is comprised of 64% women and 25% minorities. UWG strongly emphasizes faculty-directed undergraduate student research. There is considerable emphasis in the departments of Biology and Chemistry at UWG to incorporate recent advances in research into teaching and provide novel educational opportunities for the students. The proposed instrumentation will allow the introduction of LC-MS experiments in several laboratory courses for undergraduate students in Biology and Chemistry and graduate students in Biology. Furthermore, students will have ample opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research that would be made possible by this instrumentation. Acquisition of this instrumentation will facilitate the establishment of a research core-facility at UWG in near future. The availability of these techniques will significantly increase the productivity of all investigators involved in this project. Furthermore, the instrumentation will serve as a catalyst for inter-institutional research collaborations in the region, and will be an attraction for recruiting new faculty members and students. Acquisition of this instrumentation will also be helpful in forging successful alliances between academics and private industry.