MRI: Acquisition of an HPLC Coupled Mass Spectrometer for proteomics, metabolomics, and small molecule applications to expand and upgrade the SJSU PROTEIN Lab

San Jose State University Foundation, San Jose CA

Investigators

Abstract

An award is made to San José State University (SJSU) to acquire a new HPLC-Mass Spectrometer instrument with improved metabolomics, proteomics and high-resolution small molecule capabilities for the SJSU core PROTEIN lab facility. San Jose State University is a federally recognized minority-serving institution. This instrument will benefit both current and future faculty across multiple disciplines by expanding the research capabilities at SJSU. The broader impacts of this proposal are to stimulate new research activities and strengthen collaboration among research faculty as well as continuing to train undergraduate and masters students and expose them to a state-of-the-art instrumentation in both classroom and research settings. Workshops will be developed to increase the number of faculty that will use the instrument in their research. A course in Chemical Biology will be revamped with a focus on the new instrument to provide valuable research and learning opportunities to students who are underrepresented in STEM fields. The intellectual merit of the supported research will (1) characterize how compounds found in fruits in vegetables play roles in cellular metabolism, (2) identify the molecular mechanisms in mammary gland development, (3) characterize bacteria that are able to metabolize and use rare earth elements for growth, (4) characterize the mechanism of action of combination therapies on inhibiting P. aeruginosa biofilm development, (5) understand how cellular pH plays a role in cellular processes including cell death, differentiation, and tumorigenesis, and (6) characterize small molecule development using a novel p450 biocatalysis platform. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.