# An Exploris 240 for Metabolomics

> **NIH NIH S10** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $600,000

## Abstract

Project Summary
The Health Sciences Metabolomics and Lipidomics Core (HSMLC) at the University of Pittsburgh is requesting
funds for a Thermo Fisher Exploris 240 mass spectrometer coupled to a Vanquish UHPLC to expand
technological capabilities and offerings to its user base. The HSMLC was founded in 2017 and currently serves
over 100 investigators at Pitt and beyond. These collaborations range from fee-for-service customers to
extensive grant-based collaborations. Since its inception, the core has contributed to 23 peer reviewed
publications and 115 grant submissions with a 21% funding rate. The Exploris 240 coupled to the Vanquish
UPLC will complement an existing Thermo Fisher ID-X tribrid that was purchased at the end of 2018 with an
S10 award. The Vanquish-ID-X system has been used successfully and continuously for both lipidomics and
metabolomics since its installation, with its only major downtime attributed to COVID19. Data obtained on the
ID-X contributed to 8 of the 23 publications associated with the HSMLC. While many investigators utilize the
HSMLC for metabolomics and lipidomics, this proposal highlights investigators whose primary interest is in
metabolomics. Installation of the Exploris 240 will complement the ID-X and allow the separation of
metabolomic and lipidomics platforms with the Exploris 240 being solely used for metabolomics analysis that
includes targeted profiling, differential analysis and 13C tracer studies. Several advancements in
instrumentation justify the need for this request over other high resolution mass spectrometers and include (1)
Easy IC—internal calibration (2) expanded mass to charge range, down to 40 m/z (3) polarity switching with
high mass accuracy and (4) Acquire X functionality for untargeted metabolomics. These advancements will aid
in metabolite identification using MS2 fragments in the lower mass range. MS2 fragments between 40-50 m/z
will also be critical in the implementation of isotopomers analysis when not only the number of carbons
enriched, but the position of enrichment will be required to provide supporting data for metabolic dysregulation.
Furthermore, separation of lipidomics and metabolomics onto individual platforms will complement the recent
expansion of our core staff and allow for method development time to expand core capabilities and the
inception of a more extensive education and training arm of our mission, to provide our expertise in LC-MS
analysis, experimental planning and training to collaborators who are interested in better understanding mass
spectrometry applications.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10412402
- **Project number:** 1S10OD032141-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Stacy Lynn Gelhaus
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $600,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10412402

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10412402, An Exploris 240 for Metabolomics (1S10OD032141-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10412402. Licensed CC0.

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