CORE 3 - Quantitative Metabolism and Imaging Core

PROJECT SUMMARY The Quantitative Metabolism and Imaging Core will provide nutrition and obesity researchers access to advanced techniques to study metabolism. Core users will be provided targeted metabolomics, stable isotope tracer measurements of metabolic flux, and imaging approaches. The Core will also consult with investigators on experimental design and data interpretation. Metabolomic approaches will be used to quantify intermediary metabolites and co-factors in plasma or tissue extracts using targeted MS based metabolomics. Since these analyses can be performed quickly and inexpensively, they will be used as the first line of investigation to inform the design of more intensive flux experiments. Stable isotope tracer experiments will provide detailed information about the function of entire pathways by using labeled substrates that incorporate into downstream metabolites. Labeling characteristics of metabolites, detected by NMR and/or MS, will be used to determine metabolite turnover or perform metabolic flux analysis. Data will be returned to the investigator and core staff will be consulted on data interpretation. These approaches can be used in projects involving cell culture, mouse models and human subjects. Flux studies can be coordinated with additional analysis of body composition and tissue intracellular lipid content using in vivo imaging spectroscopy techniques. Additional metabolic imaging studies of tissue specific metabolic flux can be achieved using 13C- hyperpolarized imaging. The Quantitative Metabolism and Imaging Core provides access to many of the state- of-the-art approaches necessary for NORC investigators to carry out rigorous and innovative studies of nutrition and obesity research.