A multi-platform metabolomics approach for exposure science using mass spectrometry

New technologies and methods are continually pushing the field of metabolomics by expanding the metabolite landscape interrogated within a single sample. One exciting approach is to exploit and integrate the orthogonality of both liquid chromatography (LC) and gas chromatography (GC), coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometers, into a metabolomics workflow. In this presentation, Dr. John A. Bowden, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiological Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida, will examine a diverse suite of reference materials using a multi-platform metabolomics approach. Utility of the multi-platform metabolomics approach will be explored for the analysis of a novel in vitro gastrointestinal model to assess the effects of ubiquitous chemicals on the microbiome. Measurement of emerging volatile per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) will also be discussed.

Key learning objectives:

• Learn how to implement metabolomics experiments for both gas chromatography and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry using the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Exploris GC 240 mass spectrometer and Thermo Scientific Q-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer
• Learn how high-resolution accurate mass data can provide broader coverage and a deeper understanding of samples, including detection of merging compounds
• Learn how in vitro techniques can be used to assess the effects of ubiquitous chemicals on the microbiome

Who should attend?

• Research scientists with a focus on metabolomics, exposomics and emerging contaminants
• Analytical chemists
• Laboratory managers
• Gas and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry users

Presenter: Dr. John Bowden (Assistant Professor, University of Florida)

Dr. John A. Bowden is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiological Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida (UF). He also has a joint appointment in the Department of Chemistry and has affiliations with the Center for Human and Environmental Toxicology and the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment. He received his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from UF under the guidance of Dr. Richard A. Yost in 2009. After a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Saint Louis University, he joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as an NIST/NRC postdoctoral fellow in 2011, working at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, SC, where he would later serve as a research chemist until 2018. In his current position, his research is focused on employing novel mass spectrometric methods at the chem/bio interface, with an expanding interest in the fields of metabolomics, lipidomics and exposomics.

Presenter: Dr. Juan Henao (Lipidomics Scientist, BERG Health)

Dr. Juan Henao is a Lipidomics Scientist at BERG Health in Framingham, MA, USA. He completed his PhD at the University of Waterloo in Nutritional Lipidomics with Dr. Ken Stark, as well as a Postdoctoral position at the University of Florida with Dr. John Bowden. Juan’s expertise is in method development using LCMS and GCMS for lipidomics, metabolomics and environmental contaminants.

Moderator: Sarah Thomas (Editorial Team, SelectScience)

Sarah studied biology at the University of Bath, UK, and has worked in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis. As a member of the Editorial team, Sarah plays an integral role in shaping the content on SelectScience.