Research Projects
Metabolomics
Hemorrhagic shock, a result of acute blood loss, is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of death for people under 40. It is also a priming event for the development of Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS). From a physiological stand point, decreased blood volume leads to a rapid decline in blood pressure, decreasing blood flow. An anaerobic environment in the peripheral tissues ensues that leads to a switch in cellular metabolism. For reasons that are not fully understood, dramatic physiologic and metabolic changes leading to clinical shock often occur. It is our hypothesis that metabolic changes arise early in the process of hemorrhage that predispose the patient to the course of events leading to the aforementioned complications. We are investigating changes at the level of the metabolome across time in a clinically relevant, large animal model of hemorrhagic shock with the goal of identification of biomarkers specific for risk of complications. To achieve this, state-of-the-art liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS) is employed for the purposes of identifying small molecules that change between treatment groups and across time. Speed, sensitivity, and reproducibility make mass spectrometry a powerful technique for use in metabolomics and we take advantage of the state of the art mass spectrometry, proteomics and metablomics facility in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department in our research. Post Doctoral: Monika Tokmina-Lukaszewska.
Personnel:
Brian Bothner
Keywords:
Biochemistry, Analytical, Metabolomics , Systems Biology
