Offering a versatile, robust suite of capabilities to support biomedical research
Capabilities at the bioAMS facility include sample preparation and rapid, ultra-sensitive analysis of radioisotopes. These capabilities help determine the quality of biomarkers present in a sample, and when coupled with other analytical methods available at the facility, identify the analyte. Analytical capabilities include samples that are considered Risk Group 2, such as human plasma and urine, since the facility’s analytical tools are housed in a room configured with biosafety level 2 (BSL2) controls.
At the facility, researchers use analytical methods that leverage the capabilities of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) to quantify extremely low concentrations of long-lived radioisotopes (primarily carbon-14), including the ability to measure isotopes in individual cells. Researchers label molecules with carbon-14 and trace their movement in biological systems, tracking how compounds are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated.
Our AMS-based analytical capabilities include:
- Analysis of solid samples that are converted to graphite and then analyzed using the bioAMS instrument.
- Analysis of liquid samples, through direct analysis of droplets using the bioAMS instrument, or by separating a mixture’s components using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) prior to AMS analysis.
- Coupling AMS analysis with molecular mass spectrometry (MS), enabling researchers to simultaneously acquire AMS-generated quantifying data and molecular MS analyte identification data—eliminating the need to characterize samples prior to AMS analysis.
In addition, the facility offers an analytical method that uses a laser-based spectroscopy technique to quantify analytes in biomedical samples. The two-color cavity ringdown spectroscopy (2C-CRDS) instrument uses an optical detection technique to analyze radiocarbon dioxide (14CO2) concentrations in room-temperature CO2 samples.
