MRI-R2: Acquisition of an LCMS System to Enhance Undergraduate Research that Interfaces Chemistry and Biology

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). With this award from the Major Research and Instrumentation (MRI) program, Kevin P. Minbiole and colleagues Daniel M. Downey, Reid N. Harris, Gina M. MacDonald and Debra L. Mohler of James Madison University will acquire a liquid chromatograph interfaced mass spectrometer (LC-MS). The instrument will be used in undergraduate research activities and in advanced undergraduate chemistry classes. Projects to be investigated include characterization of anti-fungal metabolites from the skin bacteria of frogs and salamanders, determination of endocrine receptor compounds in the Shenandoah River watershed, measurement of neurotransmitter metabolites in blood, and studies of the interactions between DNA and chromatin. Collaborations with Gallaudet University and Mary Baldwin College will allow deaf and hard of hearing students as well as substantial numbers of women to participate in important research endeavors. A LC-MS combines the physical separation capability of liquid chromatography with the mass analysis ability of mass spectrometry. The liquid chromatograph separates a mixture into its molecular components. These components flow into a mass spectrometer where their masses, and those of their fragments, are measured. This highly sensitive technique allows detection and determination of the structure of molecules in a complex mixture. The instrumentation provided by this award will provide faculty and undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue significant collaborative investigations at the interface of chemistry and biology.