The Analytical Pharmacology Core Facility (APCF) encourages and facilitates collaborative research among COHCCC basic scientists and clinicians by providing a wide range of analytical and consultative services. APCF assists with the design and conduct of pharmacokinetic studies for clinical and preclinical investigations. Primary services provided are: 1) quantitative assay development and sample analysis (LCMS/ MS, GC/MS, AAS, and HPLC) of drugs, biomarkers, and related compounds, and 2) study design and expert analysis of pharmacokinetic and metabolite data. APCF is located in the Shapiro Building and all of the major analytical equipment is consolidated into a contiguous suite of rooms. The most heavily utilized major equipment within the core are the 3 LC-MS/MS instruments, including a Micromass Quattro Ultima triple quad, a Waters Quattro Premier XE triple quad, and an AB Sciex QTRAP 5500. Each of these instruments includes different HPLC components with unique features that provide greater flexibility, and each of the systems provides state-of-the-art selectivity and sensitivity for analytes in complex biological matrices. Instrument control and data acquisition for the Micromass and Waters systems are coordinated through separate MassLynx-NT Workstations running MassLynx and QuanLynx software. MetaboLynx software is also available for the Quattro Premier XE to aid in metabolite identification. Instrument control and data analysis for the QTRAP 5500 is performed on a dedicated workstation running Analyst software. Additional core equipment includes: a Shimadzu Model QP-5000 El gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer, interfaced directly to a dedicated PC running CLASS-5000 software; a Perkin Elmer AAnalyst 300 AAS with an HGA 800 graphite furnace for determination of metals and metal containing compounds; and three complete HPLC systems consisting of six solvent delivery modules (4 Shimadzu LC-IOA's, 2 Shimadzu LClOAD's). HPLC detection capabilities cover a wide range of currently available methods, including UV/Vis (Shimadzu SPD-10AV), fluorescence (Shimadzu RF-10A), electrochemical (ESA models 51 OOA and 5200A), and photodiode array (Waters Acquity PDA) detection systems. Between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011, a total of 13 analytical methods were developed or re-initiated, 2657 samples analyzed, and 907 clinical samples processed during the reporting period.
The overall goal of the Analytical Pharmacology Core Facility is to assist with the design and conduct of pharmacology studies and encourage collaborative research between basic scientists and clinicians utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and analytical software. This goal promotes the Cancer Center's mission of developing innovative new disease-fighting strategies in the battle against cancer.
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