Chemistry 636
Analytical Problems
Spring 2004
1. BioSensor Technologies –The National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have pooled resources and are requesting proposals for contracts related to biodefense.An identified area at risk for terrorist attack using biological agents is the nation’s food supply.Therefore, the development of methods and instrumentation related to the rapid identification of infectious biological agents in and on food by rapid response teams is the target of this program announcement.Contracts will be awarded to groups able to devise methods for the rapid detection of potential human pathogens present in a wide variety of animal and plant food products.Preference will be given to mobile units capable of detecting a spectrum of Class A, B and C biodefense targets (see Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website (www.bt.cdc.gov) for the list of agents) by first responders.
The methods of choice should be able to distinguish between multiple specific bioterrorist threats and discriminate between agents that have likely been genetically modified (especially for engineered antibiotic resistance).An alternative feature may be to compare strains of pathogens found at multiple sites to determine whether they were derived from a single source.DNA, enzyme, biochemical and immunological-based detection systems that can be automated, mobilized and used by first responders with modest molecular biology experience are considered attractive. The focus will be on identifying the pathogen strain and establishing whether the level of pathogen present is above a certain threshold.
2.Midwest Environmental Consulting (MEC) - Midwest Environmental ConsultingMEC has recently received a contract with a large environmental group to determine the source of salinity in several water resources in the state of Kansas.It is important to differentiate whether the source of salinity comes from (i) petroleum brines, (ii) dissolved salt used for deicing, (iii) waste leachate, (iv) evapotranspiration concentration, or (v) illegal dumping of chemicals such as hydrochloric acid.It is important to correctly differentiate the source of the salinity because such information will dictate the best approach for remediation.In addition, if the source of salinity is not caused by natural causes it is likely that the results for these analyses will have to be used in the litigation process that will likely determine who will pay for the costs of remediation.Hence, the Analytical branch in Lawrence has been charged with developing new analytical methodology, or adapting existing methodology that permits the differentiation of salinity sources in water resources.
3.Millennium Pharmaceuticals - Millennium PharmaceuticalsLiquid chromatography coupled to electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is widely used to study the pharmacokinetics of recently discovered drugs.In the early process of drug discovery assay development needs to be fast. Hence, there is typically not enough time to fully evaluate the possible occurrence of matrix effects when the concentration of analytes is examined in complex matrices, i.e. urine or serum.The principal problem is that unknown components from the matrix co-elute with the analyte and some times reduce the efficiency with which the analyte becomes ionized in the electrospray process.This results in great variability in the quantitation of drugs and metabolites in biological fluids.The detrimental effect on the efficiency of ionization differs from sample to sample due to characteristic and unique properties in the serum or urine of different individuals, i.e. pH, protein content, etc.It is therefore desirable to develop an essay that utilizes extraction of the analyte from the complex matrix for subsequent quantitative analysis using LC-MS.
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