This past summer, I conducted research as an intern for the Duke University Superfund Research Center (DUSRC). The DUSRC is supported by a federal grant and focuses on environmental contaminants and their developmental impacts. I worked in the Analytical Chemistry Core in Dr. Lee Ferguson’s lab and Dr. Abigail Joyce’s mentorship. My project was divided into two parts.
The first part was method development for detecting unknown per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in river samples. PFAS compounds that are often labeled as "Forever Chemicals" and have been linked to various health issues, including high cholesterol, increased liver enzymes, decreased vaccination response, thyroid disorders, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia, and testicular and kidney cancers. Unfortunately, there are thousands of unknown PFAS variants in our drinking water, and it is essential to identify and understand these largely unknown precursors. My study aimed to evaluate the recovery efficiency of 47 targeted PFAS compounds in PFAS-spiked LCMS water, utilizing three different sorbents in solid-phase extraction. Samples were separated using a C18 analytical column on a ThermoFisher Vanquish UHPLC and detected using an Altis Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer.
The second part of my project was method development for detecting neurotransmitters in c.elegans. Having the ability to quantify neurotransmitters is important because the early development of neurotransmitters is pivotal for one’s proper development of things such as your central nervous system. Seeing the effects of, for example, exposing zebrafish or c. elegans to PFAS or other potentially harmful chemicals in the environment can be very useful. We specifically looked for 5-HIAA, DOPAC, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin neurotransmitters through the HPLC-HRMS after preparing our samples. We found strong peaks for each, showing that our method is able to detect neurotransmitters.
I had a very educational and fun summer experience - something I couldn’t do without SPIRE’s help! I hope to keep conducting research in the same lab, and hopefully publish a paper.
