Operated by the Institute for Integrative Genome Biology (IIGB), the Metabolomics Core joins the existing Bioinformatics, Genomics, Microscopy, and Proteomics Cores in providing state-of-the art research tools and applications to on-campus and off-campus researchers.
The recently established Metabolomics Core Facility (MCF) at the University of California, Riverside is now accepting samples for analysis.
Metabolomics is the study of the end products of biological processes that determine cellular structure and function. Metabolomics analyses enable researchers to identify and quantify the critical products involved in maintaining cellular function in response to developmental and environmental inputs, such as aging, disease, and stress factors like pollutants.
UCR’s investment in this newest core represents a ground-breaking pursuit toward novel metabolomic research applications still in their scientific infancy. As the only other metabolomics core at a University of California campus outside of Davis, IIGB’s Metabolomics Core offers an unparalleled opportunity to examine targeted and untargeted primary and secondary metabolites and lipids across kingdoms (plant and animal/human), all under one roof. Under the general direction of Katayoon Dehesh, director of IIGB; Jay Kirkwood, academic coordinator; Manhoi Hur, research bioinformatician; and Alyssa Vollaro, staff research associate, the core offers a full-service operation, from consultation to sample preparation and analysis, to researchers interested in identifying and quantifying metabolites present in any biological system, as well as some non-biological samples such as soil.
In celebration of the core’s grand opening and through matching funding by Research and Economic Development (RED), IIGB was privileged to award sixteen $3,000 seed grants to investigators from The College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, the School of Medicine, and the Bourns College of Engineering, uniquely positioning UCR’s newest core to utilize metabolomics in leveraging existing research strengths across campus while fostering new research directions in emerging fields.
Interested researchers are invited to contact Academic Coordinator Jay Kirkwood (jkirk@ucr.edu) for information on how the core can serve their needs.
More information may be found on the core’s website at http://metabolomics.iigb.ucr.edu/
