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

A gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system will allow our interdisciplinary research groups to chemically investigate a range of unknown compounds including lipids, carbohydrates, organochlorine pesticides, and nucleosides. The equipment is essential for the projects of at least five research groups, but will have wider application at UOIT for the training of students and highly qualified research personnel. The Forbes research group has been working to identify key lipid degradation products that result from soft tissue decomposition. The research will assist forensic investigators in determining time of death of decomposed remains, as well as provide useful indicators of food spoilage and assist in the improvement of shelf life quality. Both applications will significantly impact Canadian society by improving community health and safety. The Holdway research group is investigating endosulfan, an important organochlorine pesticide presently used in the Durham region for controlling a variety of insect pests. The GC- MS will be used in distinguishing the various species of contaminants present in the local waterways and will ultimately improve the health of aquatic ecosystems. The Bonetta research group aims to understand those mechanisms that govern cell wall synthesis and assembly in plants by analysing complex carbohydrate mixtures using GC-MS. The insights gained from this research will be crucial to the development of cell wall derived products such as plastics, fibres, and fuels, which have the potential to improve the sustainability of Canada's natural resources and environmental quality. The Strap research group will use GC-MS to facilitate characterization of unknown low molecular weight aromatic compounds released during the growth of soil microbes on plant biomass. These studies will enable investigations into the metabolic usage of the degradation products by the microbes. The Desaulniers research group is working towards determining the stability profile of chemically modified siRNA. GC-MS will be used to identify and quantify different nucleosides which will ultimately lead to improved methods to overcome the obstacles currently inhibiting the success of short interfering RNA.