The ATCL specializes in working with biological samples from a variety of species, including human samples. Our well-equipped laboratory routinely handles matrices as varied as blood, fish, and breast milk to alligator eggs, soils, and honey.
Environmental Research
Analyses are available for a wide variety of chemicals of environmental interest including the following examples:
- Pesticides, including organophosphate and organochlorine insecticides (e.g. dieldrin, DDT, chlordane, pyrethroids), herbicides (e.g., glyphosate, 2,4-D, atrazine), rodenticides (e.g. warfarin, brodifacoum, famphur).
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and their metabolites
- Metals in water, tissues, soils, HVAC dust, including trace elements such as lead, arsenic, cadmium
- Polybrominated flame retardants (PBDE)
- Perfluorinated compounds (e.g., PFOA, PFOS)
Pharmaceutical and personal care products in the environment
Endocrine Research
The laboratory offers analysis for 12 hormones:
- Cortisol
- Corticosterone
- 11-KT
- Estradiol (E2)
- Estrone (E1)
- Estriol (E3)
- Progesterone (P4)
- 17-OH Progesterone
- Testosterone
- Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)
- Aldosterone
- Equilin (DHE) — horses
- In addition, we can measure synthetic hormones:
- Ethinylestradiol (EE2)
- Levonorgestrel
Hormones can be extracted from biological samples such as plasma, serum, tissue, cell, culture media or environmental samples such as water and sediment.
Lipids and Lipidomics
Like proteomics and metabolomics, lipidomics is a way to see lipids as building blocks of more complex molecules, and how changes in these lipids may affect health and disease. ATCL has the capability to conduct a targeted lipidomics profile of tissues and cells by acquiring more than 1100 lipid species in a single run.
For more basic information, lipid content of animal and plant tissues is routinely determined at the ATCL. Saturated fats, monounsaturates, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, have health impacts on humans as well as animals
Illicit Substances
The ATCL has methods for illicit substances: THC and fentanyl and derivatives. It can develop methods for other substances, as special projects depending on demand. In the past, the ATCL has helped investigators analyze vitamins, antibiotics, and other analytes.
