Targeting conjugated markers with new metabolomic methods. Detecting the illicit use of natural steroids like testosterone, or compounds that modulate natural steroid levels, remains the greatest challenge for drug testing in all forms of sport. This project aims to develop new metabolomic methods based on liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry to detect the changes occurring in the conjugated steroid profile following the administration of steroids or steroid modulators. The in ....Targeting conjugated markers with new metabolomic methods. Detecting the illicit use of natural steroids like testosterone, or compounds that modulate natural steroid levels, remains the greatest challenge for drug testing in all forms of sport. This project aims to develop new metabolomic methods based on liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry to detect the changes occurring in the conjugated steroid profile following the administration of steroids or steroid modulators. The intended outcome will be a set of sensitive and analytical methods using a range of newly identified conjugated steroid markers and associated reference materials, which promises to enhance integrity and animal welfare in the thoroughbred racing industry.
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Photodissociation mass spectrometry for lipidome analysis. This project aims to develop and apply novel bioanalytical mass spectrometry-based methods and workflows to illuminate the otherwise hidden structural diversity and molecular complexity of the lipidome. The structure of individual lipids define their specific biological functions. A major requirement of analytical methods employed for lipid analysis on a lipidome-wide scale, therefore, is to enable the detailed structural characterisatio ....Photodissociation mass spectrometry for lipidome analysis. This project aims to develop and apply novel bioanalytical mass spectrometry-based methods and workflows to illuminate the otherwise hidden structural diversity and molecular complexity of the lipidome. The structure of individual lipids define their specific biological functions. A major requirement of analytical methods employed for lipid analysis on a lipidome-wide scale, therefore, is to enable the detailed structural characterisation of the, potentially, tens of thousands of individual molecular lipid species that may be present within a sample of interest. This project will develop and optimise novel, ultraviolet photodissociation-tandem mass spectrometry methods which will be integrated within an automated lipidome analysis workflow, to enable comprehensive global lipidome profiling and to reveal the structural diversity of lipids involved in fundamental cellular signalling processes.Read moreRead less
Mapping dynamic lipid biochemistry with high spatial and molecular detail. Lipids are a complex and underappreciated family of molecules playing important roles in all of our tissues and cells. Yet, our fundamental knowledge of lipids is limited by current technology. This project aims to develop an innovative mass spectrometry imaging platform allowing lipid biochemistry to be visualised at a level of detail not before possible. This will push boundaries in molecular imaging technology and is e ....Mapping dynamic lipid biochemistry with high spatial and molecular detail. Lipids are a complex and underappreciated family of molecules playing important roles in all of our tissues and cells. Yet, our fundamental knowledge of lipids is limited by current technology. This project aims to develop an innovative mass spectrometry imaging platform allowing lipid biochemistry to be visualised at a level of detail not before possible. This will push boundaries in molecular imaging technology and is expected to provide new fundamental knowledge about the structure, function and distributions of lipids in tissues and cells. Significant benefits should include providing new tools to unravel the functions and modifications of lipids in biology, that can be extended to many other research and industrial applications. Read moreRead less
Probing antimicrobial drug resistance by multimodal molecular analysis. This project aims to investigate drug resistance in microbial agents. With the emergence of "super bugs" there is a need to understand the biochemistry of antimicrobial resistance. Combining vibrational spectroscopic approaches and metabolomic techniques, the project will investigate cell populations, single cells and subcellular structures in search of biomarkers for drug resistance. The discovery of such biomarkers could l ....Probing antimicrobial drug resistance by multimodal molecular analysis. This project aims to investigate drug resistance in microbial agents. With the emergence of "super bugs" there is a need to understand the biochemistry of antimicrobial resistance. Combining vibrational spectroscopic approaches and metabolomic techniques, the project will investigate cell populations, single cells and subcellular structures in search of biomarkers for drug resistance. The discovery of such biomarkers could lead to improved disease management and eradication programs through identification and treatment of drug resistant pathogens in individuals that have the potential to re-infect the community.Read moreRead less
Aptamer imaging mass spectrometry for biomarker quantification. This project aims to develop novel methods for quantifying bio-markers in histological specimens using aptamers, lanthanide visualising tags and laser ablation plasma mass spectrometry. Aptamers are short synthetic strands of nucleic acid with complex three dimensional structures that bind targets with exquisite specificity. This technology meets a major gap in current imaging modalities, has wide application to basic biology and di ....Aptamer imaging mass spectrometry for biomarker quantification. This project aims to develop novel methods for quantifying bio-markers in histological specimens using aptamers, lanthanide visualising tags and laser ablation plasma mass spectrometry. Aptamers are short synthetic strands of nucleic acid with complex three dimensional structures that bind targets with exquisite specificity. This technology meets a major gap in current imaging modalities, has wide application to basic biology and diagnostics, and will eliminate the subjective interpretation of immunohistochemical stains.Read moreRead less