The CRC Core Laboratory provides biochemical data needed for research by the CRC's investigators. It processes samples (e.g. of blood or urine), and then measures compounds in them by:
- High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC),
- assays up to 28 physiologic amino acids (the building blocks of proteins);
- the amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine (by a different method); (tryptophan is the precursor for the neurotransmitter serotonin and tyrosine is the precursor for dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine);
- choline is an essential nutrient (precursor for both the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and the major cell membrane phospholipid phosphatidylcholine, commonly known as lecithin)
- Gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detector (FID)
- Fatty acid analysis
- Saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids with carbon backbones ranging from 8 to 24 carbon atoms-including omega-3 and 6 compounds.
- Gas chromatography/ Mass spectrometry (GC/MS)
- Available sources - Chemical Ionization(CI) and Electron Impact Iozination (EI)
- Measures stable isotopic tracers (deuterium, 13C, 15N, ) of substrates of intermediary amino acid and energy metabolism from bodily fluids (usually plasma). These include glycerol, glucose and a variety of amino acids.
- Radioimmunoassay (RIA) and Enzyme immunoassay (EIA)
- various hormones, neurotransmitters and cytokines from insulin and growth hormone and ghrelin.
- -80, -20 degree C freezers
- refrigerators
- refrigerated centrifuges
- microcentrifuge
- sonicator
- gamma counter
- high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) amino acid analyzer,
- 3 gas chromatography mass spectometers (GC/MS),
- gas chromatograph (GC) with flame ionization detector (FID)
- microbalance