Metabolomics Facility

The cWIDR has established the Metabolomics Core Facility to provide detailed and quantitative data for basic science and patient-oriented studies that is both accessible to biologists and sensitive to chemical structure and complexity. Designed in collaboration with the Diabetic Cardiovascular Disease Center (DCDC), the Metabolomics Facility offers high-sensitivity, high-throughput quantitative mass spectrometry analyses of small molecules, proteins.

The cWIDR is using the Metabolomics Core to support the identification of host and pathogen mediators, infectious diseases biomarkers, microbial surface proteins that can be used as vaccine targets, patterns in microbial virulence factors among pathogen subtypes, and for protein purification quality control.

The advantages of a mass spectrometric approach that represent the core motivations for our plans are:

  • The ability to monitor a large number of molecules in a single analytic run
  • The ability to quantify each molecule with high precision
  • The ability to readily translate these findings to patient-oriented studies using clinical samples
  • The capacity fo discovery and identification of new proteins, metabolites, or lipids

The Metabolomics Facility is housed on the 10th floor of BJC-IH in 1450 sq. ft. of specialized space for operating state-of-the art mass spectrometers, including a sample preparation area, data management and visualization area, and office space for the facility’s director.

Current Instrumentation

Liquid Chromatography/ mass spectrometry (LC/MS)– ABI 4000 QTrap–Triple quadrupole +/- ion trapping function

  • High throughput, high sensitivity analysis of metabolites, drug candidates, peptides
  • Gold standard instrument type for quantification
  • Confirmation/identification of unknowns metabolites, peptides, posttranslational modifications (phosphorylation, glycosidation, etc)

Coming Soon

Liquid Chromatography/ mass spectrometry (LC/MS)– ABI 4000 QTrap–Triple quadrupole +/- ion trapping function

  • High throughput, high sensitivity analysis of metabolites, drug candidates, peptides
  • Gold standard instrument type for quantification
  • Confirmation/identification of unknowns metabolites, peptides, posttranslational modifications (phosphorylation, glycosidation, etc)