Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:There was no audience reached this reporting period as the year was used only for installation and testing of the equipment. Changes/Problems:Discussions about the final location of the instrument delayed the delivery and installation of the GC-MS/MS. The original location outlined in the proposal was deemed not appropriate for a GC-MS/MS. The main problem with the original location was the lack of proper ventilation for the vacuum exhaust (i.e., no hood was available). Proper ventilation was available in the CMSF and the CMSF was functionally more appropriate as a user facility for a mass spectrometry instrument. Therefore, the final decision was made, after some delay, to install the GC-MS/MS in the CMSF (Avera Health Science Building, basement level). During the discussions about the ultimate location of the instrument, the original PI requested Agilent to put a "hold" on delivery of the instrumentation until September 2024 but did not inform others at SDSU. The original PI then separated from SDSU and Dr. Logue took over as PI. This process also delayed the delivery and installation until Dr. Logue officially became the PI. Agilent also was somewhat resistant to communicating with Dr. Logue, even following the official changeover. Eventually, Dr. Logue found that a hold was placed on the instrument and worked to remove the hold and get the instrument delivered and installed. During this period, it was discovered that the gas generator was not available, and the delivery date was unknown. The team came up with the idea to use gas cylinders in the interim until the gas generator arrived (note: the gas generator still has not been delivered, but we are told it is in the U.S. now and has passed customs). Once the gas generator arrives and is installed, the full installation of the GC-MS/MS will be complete. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?While the instrument was just recently installed, some initial training activities have been accomplished. As mentioned above, Dr. Amanda Appel, a Research Assistant charged with supporting the MS facility, received training for instrument operation, maintenance, data acquisition, quantitative method development and parameter optimization using MassHunter optimizer software. Dr. Appel also received training from Agilent engineer regarding quantitative data analysis. Following this training, Dr. Appel used this knowledge to train the graduate student prior to his use of the GC-MS/MS for NDMA analysis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?There are two main objectives for the next period: Increasing the user base of the GC-MS/MS. Because the instrument was not installed and operational until late in the first year of the grant, only a few users/methods have been implemented. In Year 2 of the project, we will meet with all those involved in the grant and advertise to an even wider user base to increase usage of the instrument. Training. A training protocol will be developed to help ensure users who wish to analyze their own samples understand the proper operation of the instrument. Training materials will be primarily developed by Dr. Appel, under the supervision of Drs. Islam (CMSF coordinator) and Logue (PI), and will take advantage of training modules developed by Agilent Technologies. Maintenance. A set maintenance schedule will be developed to help ensure maximum "uptime" of the instrument in Year 2 of the project and beyond. The maintenance plan will be primarily developed by Dr. Appel, under the supervision of Drs. Islam (CMSF coordinator) and Logue (PI) and will generally follow best practices developed by Agilent Technologies.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal one: This application requested funds to purchase a gas chromatograph-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS) system for chemical analysis. 100% Accomplished. The GC-MS/MS was installed by the Agilent engineer on 06/06/2024 in the core mass spectrometry facility in the Avera Health Science Building. Although the gas generator from Peak Scientific (manufacturer) is yet to be received for installation, we pivoted to temporarily using gas cylinders of nitrogen, air and hydrogen to allow us to install and test the GC-MS/MS before the end of the grant Year 1. The instrument is now fully operational, but the cylinders will be replaced once the gas generator is received. Following installation, Dr. Amanda Appel, a Research Assistant charged with supporting the MS facility, received training for instrument operation, maintenance, data acquisition, quantitative method development and parameter optimization using MassHunter optimizer software. To give a meaningful context of acquired data by GC-MS/MS, Dr. Appel also received training from Agilent engineer regarding quantitative data analysis. We have implemented a quantitative analytical method for fatty acids analysis with the GC-MS/MS and tested its performance using standard compounds. The fatty acids were derivatized with methanol in presence of heat (80?C overnight) and 3N hydrochloric acid and the resulting fatty acid methyl esters were subjected to GC-MS/MS analysis. The collision energy and product ion of each derivatized fatty acid was optimized to achieve enhanced specificity, sensitivity and selectivity. The method for fatty acid analysis will be applied to quantitate levels of fatty acids in various biological and environmental samples including serum, plasma, urine, bacteria, yeasts, soils and plants. The quantitative fatty acid analytical method is currently being validated to evaluate the accuracy, precision and reproducibility of method. Additionally, a graduate student tested the GC-MS/MS for the analysis of nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a carcinogenic drinking water contaminant. The GC-MS/MS performed well at detecting low concentrations of NDMA. This method is currently being optimized. To increase analytical capability of GC-MS/MS and serve wider community of SDSU and outside of SDSU, we have also acquired a database and NIST MS library software to identify pesticides and environmental pollutants.

Publications