Tags: Analytical Seminar


Improving Separation of Stereochemical and Positional Isomers: A Combined HILIC-IM-MS Approach

The fundamental building blocks of life consist of lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids which are assembled from small repeating monomer subunits. Specifically monosaccharides are the precursors of carbohydrates and amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. These two monomers are chiral (except glycine) and can exist in multiple stereochemical forms making their characterization complex.  While monosaccharides and amino…


Leveraging High-Resolution Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry Approaches for Improving Analysis of Metabolites, Illicit Drugs, and Environmental Contaminants

Ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has emerged as a powerful analytical technique in the biological -omics over the last two decades, due to advantages in speed and separation capabilities. Despite its now widespread utility, the resolving power of many commercial IM platforms (~40-60) is often insufficient for resolution of structurally similar compounds such as stereoisomers. This presents a critical need for us to develop higher…


Mass Spectrometry Technologies for Critical Analytical Challenges: from Small Molecules to Mega Dalton Complexes

Recent innovations in speed, accuracy and sensitivity have established mass spectrometry (MS) based methods as a key technology for the analysis of complex mixtures. MS techniques are emerging as the analytical gold standard for the identification and characterization of molecular components with wide applications in forensic, environmental, and biomedical research.  My research group focuses on the development of emerging technologies for…


Impact Of Straight Chain Fatty Acids on Staphylococcus Aureus Growth And Biofilm Production

Over the past century, the rapidly rising rates of antibiotics resistance coupled with decreased new antibiotics on the markets has led to a global health crisis. In the United States alone, antibiotics resistant infections occur over 2.5 million times each year resulting in over 35,000 deaths.1 One bacterium of interest is Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) which is a gram-positive bacterium and one of the global leaders in antibiotic…


Advances in Extraction and Analysis of Daidzein for Therapeutic Applications

Daidzein, a bioactive isoflavonoid found in soybeans, roselle, and other legumes, has gained attention for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and estrogenic properties.1 Its therapeutic potential in bone health, cardiovascular protection, and cancer prevention has positioned it as a key compound in nutraceuticals and functional foods.1,2  Accurate extraction and analysis of daidzein are critical for quality control, pharmacokinetics…


Advancements in Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to Improve Online Elemental Analysis of Aerosols

Aerosols can have significant impact on the environment and health based on their chemical composition. It’s imperative to understand the chemical composition at the single particle level as it has influence on ice nucleation potential, cloud condensing nuclei potential and radiative forcing.1 Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an emerging technique for online analysis of single particle aerosol composition. LIBS requires no vacuum…


Using Ultrahigh Resolution Mass Spectrometry to Understand the Source, Transformations, and Fate of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Rainwater

Earth’s atmosphere stores a significant amount of organic carbon as part of the global carbon cycle. The fate of organic carbon compounds in the atmosphere are oxidation into inorganic carbon or deposition to Earth’s surface.1 Wet deposition is the most efficient processes, where compounds are dissolved in rainwater and are transported during precipitation.2 The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of rainwater can provide information about…


A Bone Proteomic Approach to Body Decomposition for Forensic Investigations

Bone proteomic methods devised for fields such as archeology and paleontology have been implemented to resolve the challenge of accurate post-mortem interval (PMI), time of death, estimation in forensic investigations. However, most of these methods have been optimized to extract a large variety of proteins without taking into account the laboratory-induced decay and post-translational modifications (PTMs). Since PTMs can be used as markers of…


Application of Quasi-Elastic Light Scattering (QELS) Spectroscopy to Probe Single Aerosol Particle Microphysics

Atmospheric aerosol particles both directly and indirectly affect the climate, and the extent of their effects is directly related to the physicochemical properties of the aerosol particle(s).1 Aerosol particles in the atmosphere can interact directly with incoming radiation and uptake water to activate into cloud droplets. Instrumentation has been developed to measure surface tension, viscosity, hygroscopicity, phase state, and water…


Insight into Reactive Oxygen Species Utilizing Fluorescence Probes

Biologically, reactive species are an important group of molecules that have been linked with cellular functions such as cellular division, ATP synthesis, signaling, apoptosis, and other key processes. These compounds are classified relative to their elemental counterparts, with the most prominently studied being reactive nitrogen, sulfur, and, most commonly, oxygen species. As such, the study of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has played an…
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