Metabolomics Facility
Services
Using the decade old metabolomics study we provide a global metabolite profiling service for the School of Biological Sciences and external research groups, academics and commercial entities.Our services include:
- Sample Preparation
- Analysis
- data processing and interpretation
The types of samples we have experience working with in the past include:
- Bacterial cultures
- Fungal cultures
- Yeast cultures
- Plant material
- Mammalian tissues and body fluids
Our analytical platform is capable of screening metabolites from different classes, such as:
- Amino acids
- Organic acids
- Fatty acids
- Sugars, sugar alcohols and amino-sugars (mono-di and trisaccharides)
- Volatile compunds
The instruments we utilize for metabolomics include:
- GC-MS
- GC-FID
- LC-LC-MSn
- LC-FT/ICR-MSn
- DI-MSn
- DI-FT/ICR-MSn
The recent addition to the CGP laboratory is our metabolomics facility. We focus on analysing the small molecules and metabolites involved in biological systems. A global metabolomics approach has become a useful tool for profiling cell metabolites and determining cell metabolic phenotypes. All the components of the cell (the genome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome) and their activity have a direct influence on cell function. All the cell components are part of a network, of which the metabolome is most sensitive (dramatically altered) by environmental changes.
Metabolomics is a robust and unbiased approach for the analysis of small molecules used or produced by the cells (metabolites). Analyses of metabolic profiles are a snapshot of the cell metabolism at a given growth phase, environmental condition or genetic modification.
Our previous work has consisted of applied metabolomics for various purposes, including qualitative and quantitative analyses of metabolites, comparison of metabolic response to different growth conditions, use of isotope-labelled metabolites to measure metabolic fluxes (fluxomics), elucidation of metabolic pathways and biodiscovery of novel metabolites and biologically active compounds.
The metabolomics facility has also been working on optimising sampling preparation methods, developing protocols for intracellular metabolite extraction, and improving data processing and analysis.
About Us
About Us Silas Villas-Bôas is one of the pioneers of microbial metabolomics. His work involved developing new techniques for chemical derivatization, developing a high thorough-put analytical platform for metabolome analysis that allows the detection of over 200 metabolites from central carbon metabolism simultaneously, development and optimisation of sample preparation techniques. His studies have spanned from his PhD work on yeast metabolomics, where new metabolites were discovered in Saccharomyces cerevisiae leading to the proposal of new metabolic pathways. He has contributed and co-edited the first international text book on metabolome analysis. Now as a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, his group carries out research using a multi-disciplinary approach involving aspects of microbiology, biochemistry, chemistry and engineering. Under his supervision, they aim to develop cutting-edge techniques for gaining insight into complex metabolic pathways relevant to industrial fermentation processes, human disease development and in food and beverage processes.
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We offer our experience in the metabolomics field to link the results of metabolite profiling to proteome and genomic techniques. |
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Prices We charge a competitive fee on a per sample basis.For our internal user charges please click here. (Note: this will open to a UoA upi login page) For external users please click here. Location CGP Laboratory: Thomas Building, Level 2, Room 285Metabolomics Laboratory: Thomas Building, Level 3, Room 330 3A Symonds Street, School of Biological Sciences, Auckland |