Analytical Chemistry Core (ACC)

NIH RePORTER · NIH · P42 · $214,595 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

Abstract The Duke University Superfund Research Center (DUSRC) will examine the neurodevelopmental health impacts of early-life co-exposures to PAHs and metals. The overall function of the Analytical Chemistry Core (ACC) is to provide routine sample analysis of Superfund-relevant contaminants as well as biomarkers of exposure for Research Projects within the DUSRC. Furthermore, the ACC provides analytical expertise in identifying transformation products and/or metabolites of these Superfund contaminants using high-resolution mass spectrometry techniques. The ACC has been an essential component of DUSRC over the past funding period, including the development of new analytical protocols for organic and inorganic compounds and the analysis of more than 2,000 samples for a wide variety of analytes (e.g., flame retardants, organophosphate pesticides, PAHs, and trace metals) in biological and environmental samples. Progress has been made in applying high- resolution mass spectrometry and other methods for non-targeted and effects-directed analysis of novel contaminants and transformation products of Superfund-relevant chemicals in environmental and biological media. Here, we propose to continue and extend the activities of the ACC, with a focus on targeted analysis of PAHs, metals, neurotransmitter biomarkers in biological and environmental samples as well as non-targeted and transformation product analysis of PAH compounds. In addition, we propose an increased role for the ACC to coordinate cross-project collaborations through the analysis of complex environmental mixtures (e.g., leachates of house dust, PAH biodegradation products) that will be generated by Projects 1 and 5, and shared to Project 2, 3, and 4 for evaluation of toxicity potential. The ACC will engage with the Research Experience and Training Core by leading training and consulting activities related to analytical chemistry. The ACC team will also offer informal hands-on instruction for training on sample preparation methods and instrumental analyses. We anticipate that these interactions will help guide researchers on experimental design for their research activities that will require chemical analyses. Finally, we will leverage our expertise to develop analytical methods and perform analyses of other Superfund-relevant compounds that may emerge during the experimentation of complex mixtures and study at Superfund sites. These activities will draw on our considerable success to date in developing, validating, and applying methods for contaminant analysis in environmental and biological samples.

Key facts

NIH application ID
10353157
Project number
2P42ES010356-20
Recipient
DUKE UNIVERSITY
Principal Investigator
P. Lee Ferguson
Activity code
P42
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2022
Award amount
$214,595
Award type
2
Project period
2000-06-01 → 2027-06-30