Analytical Neurochemistry

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania
Center URL: http://www.research.chop.edu/programs/iddrc/
Core URL: http://www.research.chop.edu/programs/iddrc/neurospeccore.php

Core Personnel
Core Director: Michael Robinson, Ph.D.
Core Associate Director: Marc Yudkoff, M.D.

Core Keywords
Analytical Neurochemistry

The rationale for this core is that neurochemical derangements occur in many developmental disabilities, including metabolic diseases, hypoxic injury, epilepsy, neurotoxicity, etc.

Objectives

• Measure "small molecules" (primarily amino acids and biogenic amines) of  importance to brain chemistry
• Assay stable isotope enrichment with mass spectrometry in order to perform kinetic studies of metabolic flux, both in vitro and in people with developmental disabilities
• Identify and characterize peptides and proteins that are important to neurologic function
• Perform cell-based assays of physiologic processes that are important to brain function, including assays of Ca^2+, calpain, caspase and ROS
• Assist users with regard to experimental design and data interpretation

• Cell-based assays subcore - the focus is in situ visualization of intracellular processes (Ca²⁺, reactive oxygen species and markers of cell death)
• Small molecules subcore - the foci are (a) assay of amino acids and biogenic amines; and (b) assay of stable isotope enrichment to perform kinetic studies of brain metabolite turnover
• Proteomics subcore - the focus is the identification of proteins and their post-translational modifications

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Last Edited: 01/13/11 12:00 AM by