Services

Pricing for method development = price per injection + staff time

Please note: Prices are subject to change without notice. Leftover samples are stored for 12 months at -80°C. Invoices are generally issued after the analysis.

The uOttawa metabolomics core facility offers both metabolite profiling and quantification in a given matrix using LC-MS and GC-MS (depending on the compounds chemical nature and ionization efficiency). However, the detection and quantification is highly dependent on the following:  

• The authentic standards ae available commercially or able to obtain the standards synthetically 
• The ability to detect the standard using any of the listed instrument 
• The ability to efficiently extract the compounds in the given matrix and derivatize if necessary (especially for GC/MS) 
• The ability to have good chromatography of the endogenous compounds to clearly separate them from the confounding metabolites  

uOttawa metabolomics core facility currently possesses more than 200 authentic metabolite standards from various classes or groups including, acyl coenzyme A(s), amino acids and derivatives, carboxylic acids and derivatives, organic acids and derivatives, bile acid(s), carnitine and acyl-carnitine(s), choline and folate pathway metabolites, fatty acid(s) (GC-MS only), glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, NAD and tryptophan pathway metabolites, nucleotides, nucleosides and derivatives, polyamines, TCA cycle intermediates and vitamins. We offer pathway/groups based quantitative analysis. We also offer metabolite profiling where we do our best to try to analyze as much as possible from the given set of sample.  

If your desired compounds are not in our list, please make an appointment to talk with us. We offer our expertise to create new methodologies specific to your needs. Method development is time consuming thus custom analysis charges will apply (staff & instrument time). 

Due to limited staff and time, the uOttawa core facility currently only offers data acquisition using our LC-QTOF-MS for the untargeted metabolomics workflow. 

With paying MCF staff time the following steps can be done at MCF: 

• The acquired data will be in terms of molecular features (including all ions and adducts). 
• The generated list of extracted metabolites or “features” are subjected to data alignment across different samples, which will be done using Agilent’s Profinder software.  
• Statistical analysis (Univariate) with Agilent’s Mass Profiler Professional software, will provide a list of differentiating “features” which will be “tagged” for identification/database search for you. We will not be able to help with the identification/database search because of the time factor, however can guide you.  
• Once the metabolites are putatively/tentatively identified by you, the samples will be re-run along with authentic standards for confirmation in terms of retention time, mass spectrum and MS/MS fragmentation pattern match.  
• Spiking authentic standards in the sample can further confirm the identity with an increase in the significant metabolite peak intensity along with retention time, mass spectrum and fragmentation pattern.