Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer for Metabolomics Analysis

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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.