MRI: Acquisition of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) System to Enable Elemental Analysis in Research, Training and Education

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This award is to purchase an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) with Laser Ablation and Liquid Chromatography capabilities. This ICP-MS system will measure the concentration of nearly all elements and their isotopes present in single mammalian cells, as well as complex liquid and solid samples. Research efforts will address core concerns of the south-central Plains region: healthcare technology, environment/population interactions, renewable energy, and water quality. This instrument will enable the collaborations among the University of Oklahoma (OU), Oklahoma State University (OSU) and the University of Tulsa (TU). Coordination with Oklahoma Tribal Nations will occur via research projects related to water quality issues pertinent to the Quapaw Tribal Environmental Office through the Tar Creek Superfund Site, and the Miami, Ottawa, Wyandotte, Shawnee, Eastern Shawnee, Modoc, Quapaw, Peoria and Seneca-Cayuga Nations through the Grand Lake Watershed Council. Oklahoma high school teachers will be engaged through the NSF-RET program "Rural Educators Engaged in Bioanalytical Engineering Research and Teaching" which targets rural students and teachers who are considered an underserved group in Oklahoma. The ICP-MS instrument to be funded is a PerkinElmer NexION2000 ICP-MS with various analytical capabilities. Single mammalian cells will be analyzed by being introduced individually into the ICP-MS using an Asperon Spray Chamber. The ICP-MS will be located at the OU Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, Stephenson Life Science Research Center, Norman, OK. The specific research topics to be addressed are: 1) Interactions of nanomaterials and drugs with individual cells, as well as assessment of cellular-metal metabolic behavior; 2) Reconstruction of population dynamics, mobility, and connectivity of organisms in prehistoric and current ecosystems; 3) Enhancement of renewable energy material performance as well as improvement of hydrocarbon systems; and 4) Characterization of organism-metal interactions within dynamic ecosystems to protect human health and improve water quality. aThis award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.