The project ?Acquisition of Orbitrap mass spectrometer? is an application for an instrumental grant aiming to to acquire a new top-level Mass Spectroscopy instrument Q ExactiveTM HF-X Hybrid Quadrupole-OrbitrapTM Mass Spectrometer for Howard University RCMI Proteomics Core Facility. Proteomics is a relatively new discipline of molecular biology that studies the identity, function, and interactions of the thousands of proteins produced by the processes of DNA transcription and mRNA translation. An important contemporary translational research frontier is to identify the proteins that exist and interact at the cellular and circulatory levels, to understand how these proteins and interactions are affected by diseases and drugs, and to develop diagnostic and therapeutic modalities based on these new understandings. Specifically, proteomics will allow identification of specific proteins and protein networks that underlie particular human genetic and infectious disorders. We have a productive, well- functioning Proteomics Core facility which has been in operation since 2010. Our existing LTQ-Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer is obsolete and no longer provides the sensitivity and quality needed to conduct cutting-edge proteomics research. The main goal of our program is to provide support for NIH-funded research at Howard University and among DC Center for AIDS Research, which I co-Direct. Our users are funded by RO1, R21, SC-1 and P50 grants. These projects investigate the diseases that disproportionately affect minority populations including viral infections, sickle cell disease research, neuronal studies and cancer research. Another important aim of a project is to add an advanced mass spectrometer to the existing Proteomic Core Facility. This will increase the quality of biomedical research at Howard University and DC area leading to overall excellence of biomedical education at Howard University.
Howard University Proteomics Core provides an infrastructure that contributes to the investigation of diseases that disproportionately affect minority populations. The proposed research is relevant to public health because pertains to a reduced vulnerability of these populations to viral infections, hereditary disorders and cancer.
