Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

A nano-LC pump and interface added to an existing LC-MS/MS spectrophotometer will be highly useful and urgently needed for our research group in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta to conduct research on prion inactivation. Prions (i.e., proteinaceous infectious particles) are causative agents of a group of neurodegenerative diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle. Because of potential persistence and unique stability of prion proteins in the environment, there is an urgent need for developing effective decontamination methods for prion protein in simple and complex matrices. Ozonation and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are being tested for the destruction of infectious sheep scrapie prion, as well as prion-model proteins. It is speculated that the primary and secondary structures of prion-like proteins can be successfully disrupted by ozonation and AOPs. This hypothesis can be tested using an existing LC-MS/MS in our laboratory with a nanospray ionization along with the gel electrophoresis-transblot system available in our laboratory. The purchase of a nanospray LC pump and interface will allow the testing of the inactivation of the recombinant proteins using ozonation and AOPs. Later on, this equipment will be used to measure the levels of inactivation of the infectious prions in BioSafety Level III facility. This prion inactivation research program will eventually lead to the development of effectively and economically feasible ozone and AOPs for the wastes containing infectious prions and will help protect Canadian wildlife and public health.