(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-12-07)
Phillips, Emily R.
Ideal isotope-labeled internal standards for analysis via targeted metabolomics approaches are presented for negative and positive ion modes for both hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and reverse phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. These best performing analytes (BPA) were deduced after experimentation from a collaborative research project involving six top metabolomics research laboratories in the country. These results are detailed in this work, supported by observed behaviors of included chemical classes and chromatographic behaviors, and align with the group hypothesis and expectations
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-01-22)
Gier, Eric C.
The work presented in this thesis highlights the current state of biomarker
research for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and seeks to investigate the potential of novel
lipid biomarkers for TBI. Awareness and research interest surrounding TBI have been
heightened in recent years due to increased media coverage and epidemics within the
military, athletic organizations, accident victims, the elderly, and the general population.
The heterogeneous nature of TBI makes diagnosis and biomarker discovery particularly
challenging as severities and exposure events vary widely.
The first two chapters serve to outline the current state of TBI regarding its impact
on human life, methods of diagnosis, injury mechanisms, and current research in the
field. These chapters ultimately highlight a current gap between modern research and
clinical implementation that is being closed rapidly through omics research. The final two
chapters describe the research conducted over the past year to identify potential lipid
biomarkers of TBI. Two predictive lipid panels were developed to classify injured and
uninjured Sprague-Dawley rat serum across two injury severities and three acute postinjury
timepoints. Identified lipid features from the proposed panels consist primarily of
phosphatidylcholine and triacylglyceride species which warrant future investigation as
proposed biomarkers of TBI. Ultimately, future work is needed to validate the features
identified as potential biomarker candidates and to connect the lipid responses discovered
in serum to alterations in the brain lipid profile to gain a more holistic picture of TBI.