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University of California-Davis

Superfund Research Program

Analytical Chemistry Core

Project Leader: Jun Yang
Co-Investigators: Bruce D. Hammock, Bruce A. Buchholz (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)
Grant Number: P42ES004699
Funding Period: 1995-2023
View this project in the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT)

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Project Summary (2017-2022)

The Analytical Chemistry Core functions as an integral part of the Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center at the University of California (UC) Davis. Methods are developed to detect biomarkers of exposure to hazardous substances in the environment, and to assess the impact these substances have on human health. The Core provides the analytical support critical to solving collaborative research problems. Sophisticated instrumentation is used to develop chromatographic and spectrometric methods necessary for the elucidation of biomarkers.

Specifically, this Core provides compound identification and assesses chemical purity; identifies remediation products, potential ligands associated with xenobiotics, and targeted metabolites (with the Optimizing Bioremediation for Risk Reduction Using Integrated Bioassay, Non-Target Analysis and Genomic Mining Techniques, Critical Role of Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress (MOS) in Chemical Induced Cardiac Toxicity and Monitoring Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Caused by Chronic Exposure to Chemicals projects); provides reference methods for biosensor validation and immunochemical detection of environmental substances (for the Field-Deployable Lab-on-a-Chip Nanosensing Platforms for Health and Environmental Monitoring and Immunoassays for Human and Environmental Health Monitoring projects); and provides metabolomics support (for the Optimizing Bioremediation for Risk Reduction Using Integrated Bioassay, Non-Target Analysis and Genomic Mining Techniques, Critical Role of Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress (MOS) in Chemical Induced Cardiac Toxicity, and Monitoring Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Caused by Chronic Exposure to Chemicals projects).

The UC Davis SRP Center Analytical Chemistry Core offers assistance to investigators interested in obtaining and interpreting spectra generated at other campus service laboratories such as the NMR and proteomic facility. Instrument training and education is also offered to investigators in conjunction with the Interdisciplinary Training Core. A range of innovative services is offered by this Core, with emphasis on analytical method development. The Core has 3 LC-MS/MSs, 1 LC-ToF-MS, 2 GC-MSs, and an Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS). Hazardous substances and their metabolites are measured in human or animal samples, and can be detected with high sensitivity. For example, the AMS has a detection limit of ~1 amol 14C, and is 100 000 times more sensitive than the traditional liquid scintillation counter. Another technique used to assess biomarkers of hazardous substances is metabolomics analysis, a high throughput method that screens for metabolites within biological samples. Here, an innovative LC-MS/MS method is used to screen for 87 lipid metabolites to determine the consequence of hazardous substances on regulatory lipids.

This Core is a significant collaborative component of the UC Davis SRP Center, driving forward SRP research projects. This Core advances the analytical techniques required to assess biomarkers of hazardous substances. Researchers within this Core continue to work on expanding the metabolomics platform in order to provide more sensitivity and higher throughput. The AMS throughput is also increasing, allowing for efficient sample analysis. By providing innovative and advanced technology, this Core is a valued part of the research program. It generates solutions to problems surrounding the environmental contamination of hazardous substances, and interrogates the risk these substances pose on human health.

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