Award details

Development of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy for metabolomics

Reference	BB/C513834/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Royston Goodacre
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Roger Jarvis, Professor Paul O'Brien
Institution	The University of Manchester
Department	Chemistry
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	419,355
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/04/2005
End date	31/07/2008
Duration	40 months

Abstract

Many metabolomics studies use mass spectrometry as an analytical detection method, usually after chromatography for quantifying the relative levels of metabolites. Whilst LC-ESI-MS is a very powerful tool within the functional genomics toolbox, the analyte needs to be charged in order for it to be separated and detected by the mass analyser, and ESI-MS in general is selectively sensitive and prone to matrix effects (so called ion suppression). Alternative analysers have been used including NMR and FT-IR but these are insensitive and so have not been widely adopted. Ramanspectroscopy is a powerful analytical tool and measures the exchange of energy with EM radiation. The Raman spectrum from a sample can be interpreted chemically and used to identify biochemical species. However, whilst the Raman effect is particularly weak and typically only approximately 1 in 100 million incident photons are inelastically scattered, it can be greatly enhanced if the sample is microscopically close to a metal substrate (usually gold or silver nanoparticles). This proposal is to develop LC-SERS for metabolic profiling. This will involve the development of new methodologies for the preparation of dispersed materials and their processing into thin films. In particular, we will produce fully characterised Ag and Au nanoparticles and films which can be turned into specific laser wavelengths. These films can then be used as substrates for LC eluent spotted onto that surface by a liquid handling robot. In addition, once these surfaces are prepared there will be enough sensitivity to generate SERS spectra directly from single bacterial cells which will allow for bacterial identification against a SERS database without the organism being cultivated.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Engineering & Biological Systems (EBS)
Research Topics	Microbiology, Technology and Methods Development
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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