 | LIANG LI (Principal
Investigator) is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Alberta, and Director of the Alberta Cancer Board Proteomics Resource Facility. His research is in the area of analytical mass spectrometry. Since 1987, he has published 95 referred papers and given over 90 invited talks. He holds one US patent on time-of-flight mass spectrometric technology, and has filed one US patent on HPLC/MALDI. Dr. Li has won several awards including the McBryde Medal (2001) from the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the Young Explorers Prize (2002) from the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR), which was given to Canada's top twenty researchers aged forty or under in science and engineering, and the Rutherford Memorial Medal (2003) from the Royal Society of Canada. He will be responsible for technical and method development and applications of mass spectrometry (hand-held MS and FT-ICR) for metabolome analysis.
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 | RUPASRI MANDAL (Research Associate) received her PhD in environmental analytical chemistry from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, in 2001, and during this research she developed several novel schemes and analytical techniques for kinetic speciation of trace metals in freshwaters such as voltammetry, GFAAS and ICP-MS. Her post-doctoral research work (2002-2005) in bioanalytical/biomedical chemistry in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Alberta focused on the development of analytical techniques and methodologies to study drug-protein interactions. During this time, she developed a combined analytical approach based on nanoelectrospray tandem mass spectrometry (QStar) and size-exclusion HPLC/ICP-MS to study drug-protein interactions. She also developed and used several other bioanalytical methods for protein-adduct analysis such as LC-MS, gel electrophoresis, protein digest and proteome database. From 2006-2008, she worked as the project coordinator for the Human Biomonitoring Project in the Department of Public Health Sciences at University of Alberta. She joined the Pan-Alberta Metabolomics Platform team in August 2008, and is involved in developing analytical methods (GC-MS, HPLC-ELSD, and LC-MS) for identification and quantification of water-soluble metabolites and lipids in biofluids and plant materials. |
 | IGOR SINELNIKOV (MS Technician) received his MSc from Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia, in 1995 where he was working in the physical chemistry lab developing novel ion-selective electrodes and sensors based on metalloporphyrins. Upon graduation, he pursued post-graduate work developing oxygen sensors and implementing micro mass sensitive piezoelectric quartz elements. After postgraduate work and studies Igor worked as a programmer and IT specialist for almost 5 years. In 2002 he joined John Klassen's laboratory as a PhD student, where he had the opportunity to perform research involving the analysis of multiprotein complexes by mass spectrometry utilizing 9.4T FT-ICR/MS. His PhD thesis defense is preliminarily scheduled for the end of March. He joined the Pan-Alberta Metabolomics Platform team in August 2008 and is involved in developing analytical methods (GC-MS, HPLC-ELSD, and LC-MS) for identification and quantification of water-soluble metabolites and lipids in biofluids and plant materials. |
 | MARGOT DAWE (Graduate Student) received her BSc in Chemistry from Memorial University. She worked with Dr. Christina Bottaro's analytical chemistry research group for three years during her undergraduate studies and carried out her honours research in her lab. The main focus of her honours research was the characterization of disinfection byproducts resulting from the chlorination of natural organic matter, fulvic acid, humic acid, and model compounds using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Margot is very interested in biochemical analysis using mass spectrometry. |
 | ANDREA DE SOUZA (Graduate Student) received her BSc in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia. As part of her undergraduate education, she wrote a Chemistry Undergraduate Honours Thesis under the supervision of Dr. Michael Blades and Dr. Robin Turner. Her thesis project was entitled "Arsenic Speciation and Compartmentalization in Acetabularia acetabulum using Raman Spectroscopy," and this research further instilled her desire to pursue scientific knowledge, which led her to the University of Alberta. She was part of the UBC science co-op program and gained invaluable experience in research and development through 16 months of work experience. She worked with CE at Cardiome Pharma Corp. (Vancouver), and then moved on to MethylGene Inc. (Montreal) and Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (Vancouver) where she worked with HPLC. |
 | YING WEI "EDISON" DONG (Technician) received his BSc in Chemistry from the University of Alberta in 2008. Edison is currently working on the Biofluid team as a chemistry technician. He has worked on chemical nomenclature, compound purification and separation, spectral analysis and is knowledgeable about IR, UV, NMR, and LC-MS. He is also in charge of the Human Metabolome Library, being responsible for sample ordering, preparation, distribution and shipment. |
 | KEVIN KUN GUO (Graduate Student) received his MSc in Analytical Biochemistry and worked for a few pharmaceutical companies as a Research Associate/Chemist. He participated in several research projects, such as pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies of insulin, inhaled PEG-a-interferon, etc. in collaboration with Pfizer, Roche and Lilly; small peptide design and analysis using HPLC and mass spectrometry; HPLC and GC/MS for the separation and identification of environmental genotoxins in complex matrices; IC and ICP-MS methodologies for the elemental ultra-trace and isotope ratio analysis of pharmaceutical, environmental, geological, and biological interests. With his background in separation, bioanalysis, and mass spectrometry, he joins the Human Metabolome team. |
 | AVALYN LEWIS (Graduate Student) worked for an environmental testing firm, using GC/MS to identify and quantify environmental pollutants in soils and waters. She was also employed at SUNY-Stony Brook Mass Spectrometry Facility, where she participated in several research projects, using mass spectrometry and modern analytical techniques in biochemical analyses. |
 | AZERET ZUNIGA (Graduate Student) received her BSc from the University of British Columbia. Upon graduation, she joined the ALS Laboratory Group, where she had the opportunity to perform research involving the analysis of halogenic species in diverse geological samples by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). At that time she realized that she wanted to pursue a career in mass spectrometry, and came to the University of Alberta to join Liang Li's group. Her research project involves the analysis of acylcarnitines and their phase I metabolites in human urine by UPLC-MS/MS. Acylcarnitines have become important biomarkers of inborn errors of metabolism such as fatty acid oxidation disorders and organic acidurias. She is particularly interested in the separation and identification of isomeric species since we anticipate that the accurate identification and quantification of specific isomers of acylcarnitines may provide an improved diagnosis of these disorders in the future. |
