Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer for Metabolomics Analysis

描述（由申请人提供）：在拥有30多年生物医学质谱经验的Susan Weintraub博士的指导下，申请资金用于在圣安东尼奥的德克萨斯大学健康科学中心（UTHSCSA）购买用于靶向定量代谢组学分析的三重四极杆质谱仪和HPLC系统。所要求的仪器将提供一个新的UTHSCSA代谢组学实验室，这是目前正在建设中的南得克萨斯州研究设施（STRF），预计将于2011年5月完成建立基本的分析能力。STRF旨在最大限度地发挥基于主题的合作努力，并将容纳约50名研究人员的研究活动，这些研究人员在以下一般领域工作：成人癌症，糖尿病和代谢生物学，健康老龄化，神经科学和再生医学。将设在STRF的核心实验室将为UTHSCSA的所有研究人员和其他机构的研究人员提供协作和支持服务。获得所需的质谱仪和HPLC系统提供了一个巨大的机会，以推进大量研究人员的研究工作，这些研究人员研究了各种重要的NIH资助的健康相关主题，包括衰老，肌萎缩侧索硬化症（ALS），癌症，心血管疾病，糖尿病，肥胖症，胎盘功能以及母体营养对短期和长期后代健康的影响。此外，各种关键的生化系统将被调查，如在三羧酸循环和一氧化氮合酶系统的代谢缺陷。在这些既定的研究计划中添加代谢组学分析对于充分回答所提出的许多假设并为探索新方向提供指导至关重要。建立一个侧重于定量测量的实验室将有助于维持必要的标准化做法，这对于确保高质量数据至关重要。新的代谢组学实验室的活动将补充主要校园质谱设施的努力，集中在蛋白质分析。三重四极杆质谱仪和HPLC系统的收购有针对性的定量分析有可能积极影响大量的NIH资助的研究，涵盖了生物医学研究的全部学科。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Funds are requested to purchase a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer and HPLC system for targeted quantitative metabolomics analysis at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), under the direction of Dr. Susan Weintraub, who has over 30 years experience in biomedical mass spectrometry. The requested instrumentation will provide essential analytical capabilities for a new UTHSCSA metabolomics laboratory that is being established in the South Texas Research Facility (STRF) that is currently under construction and expected to be completed in May 2011. The STRF has been designed to maximize thematically-based collaborative efforts and will house the research activities of approximately 50 investigators working in the following general areas: adult cancer, diabetes and metabolic biology, healthy aging, neuroscience, and regenerative medicine. The core laboratories that will be housed in the STRF will be available for collaborative and support services to all UTHSCSA investigators and to researchers at other institutions. Acquisition of the requested mass spectrometer and HPLC system affords a tremendous opportunity to advance the research efforts of a large number of investigators studying a variety of important NIH-funded, health-related topics, including aging, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, placental function, and the consequences of maternal nutrition on short-term and long-term offspring health. In addition, a variety of key biochemical systems will be investigated, such as metabolic defects in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the nitric oxide synthase system. Addition of metabolomics analyses to these established research programs is essential to fully answer many of the hypotheses posed and to provide guidance for new directions to be explored. Setting up a laboratory that focuses on quantitative measurements will facilitate maintenance of the necessary standardization practices that are essential for assuring high-quality data. The activities of the new metabolomics laboratory will complement the efforts of the main campus mass spectrometry facility that concentrate on protein analyses. The acquisition of triple quadrupole mass spectrometer and HPLC system for targeted quantitative analysis has the potential to positively impact a large number of NIH-funded investigations covering the full array of disciplines in biomedical research.