Positron emission tomography (PET), a nuclear medicine technique, has been applied as an effective clinical tool to diagnose physiological metabolic process based on different functional radiotracers.

DNA sequencing technologies have existed since the early 1970s. The automated Sanger sequencing developed by and named after Frederick Sanger is considered as a “first-generation” technology[1]. Sanger shared 1980 chemistry Nobel prize with Walter Gilbert due to their contributions concerning the determination of base sequences in nucleic acids[2]. The finished-grade Human Genome Project was dominantly supported by Sanger sequencing.

Isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood provides a minimally-invasive alternative for basic understanding, diagnosis, and prognosis of metastatic cancer. The roles and clinical values of CTCs are under intensive investigation, yet most studies are limited by technical challenges in the comprehensive enrichment of intact and viable CTCs with minimal white blood cell (WBC) contamination.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is diagnosed in 187,000 people each year in the United States. Radiation therapy (RT) is a standard care for most patients. However, the maximum radiation dose is limited to ~60-70Gy due to severe side effects such as neutropenic fever and Grade 3 esophagitis.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are complex linear carbohydrates that participate in a broad range of biological processes.1 Their structural analysis is challenging, and there has been considerable research into tandem MS approaches. Electron activation methods such as electron detachment dissociation (EDD) produce glycosidic fragments and an abundance of cross-ring fragmentation, but this approach is confined to FTICR mass spectrometers.

Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry (CD-MS), quantifies the charge on an individual ion and, from a velocity measurement of each electrostatically accelerated ion, also determines its mass-to-charge ratio. Together these measurements allow a calculation of the mass for a highly charged ion. CD-MS extends the reach of mass spectrometry into the giga Dalton regime. It also allows the analysis of very heterogeneous samples.

Kynurenine Monooxygenase (KMO) is a potential drug target for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease^1-3. In this study, we tested kynurenine analogs and sulfonylureas predicted by a pharmacophore model⁴ for competitive inhibition of KMO. Given the therapeutic relevance of KMO inhibition, and that obtaining a pure recombinant human KMO is still a challenge, our lab seeks to crystallize Cytophaga hutchinsonii (ch) KMO and hopefully provide a better surrogate for human KMO.

Traditionally used in cell biology, super resolution microscopy (SRM) has become a valuable tool for observing chemistry in action. With resolution capabilities down to 10 nm, SRM has succeeded in observing samples below the theoretical limit of light microscopy. The major SRM techniques utilize the chemical potential and photoactivation characteristics of fluorophores as well as deconvolution of raw image data to obtain high resolution images. Development of these super resolution techniques won Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell, and William E.

Antibodies are important biological scaffolds used in biotherapeutics and diagnostics. The utility of antibodies can be expanded by coupling them with small-molecule drugs or proteins. Using both protein engineering and bioconjugation chemistry, we have created a series of highly-characterized antibody-conjugates that simultaneously deliver multiple drugs to induce new forms of synthetic lethality.