# Sampling and Separation

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · 2021 · $256,785

## Abstract

As part of the UIUC Neurometabolomics and Neuroproteomics Center on Cell-Cell Signaling, the Sampling and
Separation Core develops and applies methods to enhance all aspects of sample preparation and fractionation
for the comprehensive chemical analysis of brain neurochemistry at the tissue, cell, and subcellular levels.
Precise, accurate, and careful sampling is crucial in successful proteome, peptidome, and metabolome studies.
In contrast to DNA/RNA-based molecular techniques, direct measurement of proteins and metabolites in volume-
and mass-limited samples lacks a significant signal amplification step. This Core offers unmatched capabilities
in the sampling of tissues, cells, and organelles, enabling the chemical characterization of various classes of
molecules from an ever-increasing range of samples and animal models. Infused throughout this Core is the
philosophy that directed sampling is fundamental to reducing the intrinsic chemical and morphological complexity
of heterogeneous neuronal systems to achieve effective measurement of dynamic brain systems. The
methodological advances we have developed already provide better results for experiments that, in some cases,
would have been considered impossible to perform without these approaches. A unifying strategy for studies
employing separation methods is that they seek to fractionate complex tissue samples into components that
make them more accessible for in-depth chemical characterization via mass spectrometry analysis in the
Molecular Profiling and Characterization Core. Since our inception, we have been expanding our analytical
toolset to include a number of both well-established and innovative approaches for analyte sampling and
separation, thus providing robust processing of nervous system samples for metabolite, peptide, and protein
characterization. Obviously, this Core is closely linked to the needs of our users, and exists within the framework
of the entire Center. Only when integrated with the Pilot Research Projects Core, the Molecular Profiling and
Characterization Core, and the Bioinformatics, Data Analytics, and Predictive Modeling Core, are we able to
generate the biological information required by our users. Simply stated, the Sampling and Separation Core links
the biological user base to the rest of the Center and lays the foundation for successful Center to user project
outcomes. The close interactions between the neuroscience users and the Sampling Core chemists and
biologists enables a robust synergy. The neuroscience users have become increasingly aware of the advantages
provided by the analytical tools and expertise available to them through our Core. So too have the facility
chemists gained greater familiarity with the diversity of sample types, from a honey bee brain to a rat brain, with
sample sizes ranging from whole brain extracts to single cells, to subcellular compartments. We tightly couple
the methodologies to the neuroscience to ensure that we will continue t...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10180924
- **Project number:** 5P30DA018310-18
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
- **Principal Investigator:** Jonathan V. Sweedler
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $256,785
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2004-08-23 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10180924

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10180924, Sampling and Separation (5P30DA018310-18). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10180924. Licensed CC0.

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