Liquid-Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) System

About This Grant

This proposal requests funding for a Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) system to support biomedical research and educational initiatives across East Tennessee State University's Academic Health Science Center. The instrument will primarily serve researchers and students in the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, while remaining accessible to investigators from the Colleges of Public Health and Arts and Sciences. The acquisition of this LCMS system addresses a critical infrastructure gap that emerged in 2022 when the university's previous LCMS instrument became non-functional. From 2009-2022, LCMS capabilities at ETSU facilitated significant research productivity across multiple investigative teams, resulting in over 40 peer-reviewed publications. This research spans an array of biomedical applications including: pharmacokinetic studies of therapeutic drugs and substances of abuse; development of novel drug delivery systems; quantification of endogenous biomarkers in disease states; stability studies of compounded pharmaceuticals; analysis of environmental contaminants; and investigation of lipid mediators in cardiovascular disease. This productivity has been severely hampered by the lack of this essential analytical capability since 2022. Beyond supporting faculty research programs, this instrument will provide exceptional educational opportunities for a broad spectrum of students, including PharmD, MD, PhD, MS, and undergraduate trainees. Hands-on training with sophisticated LCMS technology will equip these learners with specialized analytical skills highly valued in both academic and industrial research settings. This training represents an uncommon opportunity, particularly for undergraduate science students, enhancing their competitiveness for advanced educational programs and future employment. The strategic placement of this instrument within our shared research infrastructure will maximize its impact, supporting ongoing NIH-funded investigations in areas including pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism, natural product chemistry, biomarker discovery, and neonatal abstinence syndrome research. Additionally, the instrument will enable new collaborative research directions that align with institutional priorities in addiction science, infectious disease, and rural health disparities. In summary, this LCMS system will rejuvenate research capabilities that previously flourished at ETSU, while simultaneously enriching the educational experience of our student population in the biomedical sciences.