This research will lead to the development of unique micro-analytical systems and detection strategies that can be used in the areas of biomedical research, medicine, agriculture, biodefense, and other areas that benefit from proteomic investigations.
CAREER grants are the NSF's most prestigious awards in support of early career development activities of junior faculty members who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization.
Providing a comprehensive description for all protein components in a cell present during the various stages of the cell lifecycle is a major challenge. There are efforts across a variety of disciplines to develop adequate instrumentation and technologies for this purpose. The primary goal of Lazar's CAREER project is to address the basic technological limitations that impede fast proteomic investigations.
"Microfabrication is emerging as one of the most significant trends in analytical chemistry instrumentation," Lazar said. "Microfluidic devices present unique opportunities for integration and multiplexing capabilities to handle small sample amounts and represent an optimal platform for proteomic applications."
The long-term objective of Lazar's project is the development of microfluidic platforms with mass spectrometric detection for bioanalytical applications. Specifically, three major areas of research will be examined: microfluidic platform development, microchip-mass spectrometric interface development, and bioanalytical process implementation on the chip.
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Contact: Susan Bland
subland@vbi.vt.edu
540-231-7912
Virginia Tech
12-Apr-2005