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Research - Projects

Projects are divided into three symbiotic Strands:

Strand 1, Materials: New selective materials and separation phases.
Strand 2, Methods: Advanced methods, including hyphenated and multi-dimensional chromatographic and/or electrophoretic systems.
Strand 3, Technologies: New chromatographic technologies, including novel selective detection options, and adaptable platforms and micro-engineered systems to house new phase materials in performance enhancing formats.

 

Project Code: S1-MA1
Project Title: New carbonaceous nano-materials and their composites as efficient and selective stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography.
Primary supervisor: Prof. Brett Paull and Prof. Pavel Nesterenko.
Project Overview:

  • This project shall investigate the unique properties of carbonaceous materials for use as chromatographic stationary phases in HPLC. The main features of carbon nano-materials are the low cost of production, excellent mechanical and chemical stabilities, thermo-stability, thermo-conductivity and an ability to display semi-conductive properties.
  • Selectivity and stability properties of immobilised carbonaceous materials shall be studied.

 

Project Code: S1-MA2(P1)
Project Title: Advanced exotic monoliths (surface modified/composites)
Primary supervisor: Prof. Brett Paull and Dr. Mirek Macka.
Project Overview:

  • Nano layers of metallic materials shall be immobilised on the surface of silica or polymer monoliths, utilising the excellent permeability and stability of such monolithic scaffolds.
  • Monoliths with immobilised ligands or polymer grafts which respond to a variety of external stimuli to result in selectivity changes shall be studied.

 

Project Code S1-MA3
Project Title Supercritical fluid generation of fluorinated chromatographic materials including nano-materials and nano-structured surfaces.
Primary supervisor Professor Jeremy D. Glennon
Project Overview

  • The most striking applications of separation methods in the analysis of DNA, oligonucleotides, proteins, peptides and in metabolite profiling, concern precisely the solutes requiring higher selectivity and efficiency during chromatographic analysis.
  • Within this project, the objectives are to design and chromatographically demonstrate a new generation of highly selective fluorinated chromatographic bonded stationary phases using supercritical fluid technology, the methodology of which has been pioneered by our laboratory.
  • The combination of this supercritical fluid methodology in the functionalisation of nano-materials and nano-structured silicon surfaces for chromatography will seek to address some of the key separation science issues such as higher selectivity and efficiency.

 

Project Code S1- MA4
Project Title Host-Guest Molecular Recognition Chemistries for Drug Analysis
Primary supervisor Professor Jeremy D. Glennon
Project Description

  • In this research, opportunities to design and synthesise novel affinity and molecular recognition ligands will be taken through immobilization onto solid chromatographic substrates. 

 

Project Code S1-MA5
Project Title New bio-affinity phases.
Primary supervisor Dr. Brendan O’Connor.
Project Description

  • Using recombinant DNA technology, highly selective lectins shall be cloned which incorporate a specific immobilisation “tag” for subsequent immobilisation onto polymer monoliths in capillary formats.
  • The selectivity and stability of these affinity columns shall be studied chromatographically and by other means.

 

Project Code S1-MA6
Project Title Chromatographic Hydrophobicity Indexing using Dynamic Phospholipid, Mixed Phases and Artificial Membrane Phases.
Primary supervisor Dr. Dara Fitzpartick
Project Description

  • One of the key determinants of the transport, diffusion and behaviour of a substance, whether a small molecule or large biologic, is its partitioning and equilibrium between phases and across membranes.
  • Mixtures of bonded phases will be developed to mimic extracellular environments and used to determine the partitioning of drug compounds in comparison to in vivo and in vitro data.

 

Project Code S2-ME1
Project TitleTrace Analysis of Metal ions in Biological Systems
Primary supervisor Professor Jeremy D. Glennon
Project Description

  • The study of equilibrium and dynamic distribution of metal complexes is crucial in understanding the mechanism of metal-related disease and metal transport in biological systems.
  • It is often a particular equilibrium species that is the key to the bioactivity, toxicity or the transport of the metal but to-date the determination of individual species concentrations, especially species in the low molecular weight fraction of serum, urine and synovial fluid, remains a challenge.
  • In this research, the focus is on metal related disease in particular, looking at the transportation of metals in biological fluids in normal and disease conditions using LC/CE-ICP-MS.

 

Project Code S2-ME2
Project TitleHyphenated techniques; nano-LC/ and nano-LC-LC/MS for the characterisation of bio-processing media
Primary supervisor Professor Brett Paull.
Project Description

  • Combinations of reversed-phase, affinity and ion-exchange chromatographic configurations will be designed and optimised for the detailed characterisation and ‘chemical fingerprinting’ of complex biological systems, including feedstock and in-process bio-fermentation samples.

 

Project Code S2-ME3
Project TitleDevelopment of multi-dimensional/modal liquid chromatography for complex sample analysis.
Primary supervisor Professor Brett Paull.
Project Description

  • Monolithic or particulate phases developed in other ISSC research projects, including affinity, so-called ‘pseudo-affinity’ and affinity array phases, shall be applied to the 2DLC analysis of selected biomolecules in complex bio-fermentation media samples.
  • The gains in selectivity by appropriate choice of columns with alternative orthogonalities shall be investigated.
  • This 2DLC separation shall be coupled with mass-spec detection for identification of target process markers.

 

Project Code S3-TE1
Project TitleBio-detection of Clinically Important Substances using novel Nano-materials in Miniaturised Electrochemistry and Chromatography
Primary supervisor Dr. Mila Pravda
Project Description

  • Bio-molecular detection in miniaturised analytical devices requires a high sensitivity and small dimensions that cannot be achieved by conventional detecting systems.
  • Electrochemical detection can be facilitated by a wide range of nano-materials.
  • Nano-composite materials are formed by the combination of the above mentioned components. The selective and rapid detection of clinically important substances will be researched using novel miniaturized separation and electrochemical detection devices.

 

Project Code S3-TE2 (P1)
Project TitleIntegration of on-chip miniaturised separation channels and bio electrochemical detection using nano-particle and nano-structured surfaces.
Primary supervisor Professor Jeremy D. Glennon
Project Description

  • In this project a series of tailor-made nano-particles and nanostructured surfaces will be prepared, and integrated into miniaturised LC and CEC on chip with bioelectrochemical detection.
  • This project will focus on the supercritical fluid functionalisation of customised separation channels containing micro-engineered nano structures prepared using novel silicon processing for application as future chromatographic nano-phases for bio-molecules.
  • The challenge of chemical functionalisation of micro machined nano-structures processed on silicon and glass can also be met using supercritical fluids. The integration of nano-structured silicon and glass surfaces and other tailor made nano-materials with injection and detection capabilities is a key objective in this project on miniaturised separation devices.

 

Project Code S3-TE2 (P2)
Project TitleOn-chip multi-modal separations – encased and in-channel photo-initiated monoliths for sample handling, delivery, pre-treatment and separations.
Primary supervisor Professor Brett Paull, Dr. Mirek Macka, Dr. Dermot Brabazon.
Project Description

  • Laser micromachining shall be used to fabricate channels in polymer or glass substrates for microfluidic chips.
  • 2D separations will be carried out “on-chip” by incorporating stationary phases (developed in other ISSC research projects) in the channels of these chips.

 

Project Code S3-TE3
Project TitlePhotografting and surface characterisation – in capillary/channel monolithic modification and analysis.
Primary supervisor Professor Brett Paull.
Project Description

  • Using photografting methods, selective ligands shall be immobilised on monolithic supports and used for capture of target analytes.
  • Similar strategies shall be used for the immobilisation of enzymes on polymer monoliths to produce an enzyme bioreactor for on-column digestion of proteins prior to mass-spec analysis or prior to further chromatographic analysis.