DRC Regional Metabolomics and Fluxomics Core - Services

The Rabinowitz lab maintains three LC-Orbitrap systems, each with capacity for 50 samples per day (on top of blanks and quality control samples), resulting in total capacity of 1000 samples per week. DRC usage has been steady at about 100 samples per week. These samples are accommodated by dedicated time of up to 1 day/week on each of these three LC-MS systems. For sets of up to 40 samples, instrument time has reliably been scheduled within 2 weeks of User request, returning data within 3 weeks. Experiments involving larger number of samples are coordinated with other User instrument needs. Often such samples can also be run within 2 weeks, but sometimes they must be delayed a few weeks to find a gap in the schedule. In the case of very large sample requests (> 300 samples), these are vetted by Rabinowitz for centrality to the DRC mission and any concerns discussed with DRC Director Lazar.

Allotting 1 day of instrument time per week to DRC Users, as agreed to by Princeton, will provide capacity for 4 DRC samples weekly (200 annually). In case of excess demand, we propose that each interested User lab will be assigned instrument time, in one day increments, on a rotating basis. New labs interested in joining the cycle would be scheduled with no more than 4 weeks wait.

Current usage rates are well matched to our throughput capabilities. Fees are as follows, and are cost effective compared to commercial vendors (typically ~ $250/run) and Academic Comprehensive Metabolomics Service Cores (~ $120/run, $3000 per slide for imaging mass spectrometry).

Outline of Services and Associated Fees

Service Name

Description

DRC price

Sample extraction

Metabolite extraction from tissue and serum samples

$20 / sample*

MALDI sample preparation

Cryosectioning and matrix coating

$200 / sample

LC-MS

Cationic polar metabolites

Cationic water soluble metabolites by high resolution LC-MS (with or without labeling)

$20 / LC-MS run

Anionic polar metabolites

Anionic water soluble metabolites by high resolution LC-MS (with or without labeling)

$20 / LC-MS run

Cationic lipidomics

Cationic lipids (including neutral lipids that ionize in positive mode)

$40 / LC-MS run

Anionic lipidomics

Anionic lipids (including neutral lipids that ionize in negative mode)

$40 / LC-MS run

Targeted metabolites

Fatty acids, organic acids, folates, thiols, or other specific classes of metabolites measured by dedicated LC-MS or GC-MS methods

$20 / run

MALDI imaging mass spectrometry

Spatial metabolomics

MALDI imaging of water soluble metabolites or lipids (with or without labeling)

$75 / h

 

* Users are encouraged to extract metabolites themselves using protocols provided by the Core