In the Mazzer lab, we are analytical chemists interested in using advanced analytical or bioanalytical tools to study the toxicity of complex organic mixtures in the environment.  We would like to understand how these mixtures change in the environment and in living systems, and how they adversely impact living systems. Most of our research focuses on condensed aromatics-from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to amorphous black carbon to highly-organized carbon nanoparticles. We want to understand how these compounds are changed by passage through the environment, and how that passage changes the effect they have on living systems-primarily on humans. These overarching goals have led us to work on several interrelated projects. 

We have been working extensively on developing mass spec-based lipidomic  assays for investigating the mode of toxic action of individual compounds or toxic mixtures.  Because lipidomics is a fairly new field, there is alot of development to be done.  At present, we have shown that we can use shotgun lipidomics to differentiate between apoptosis and necrosis, and are working on further development of our assay techniques.  Also, we wish to annotate our shotgun results with information on the lipid modification pathways associated with the changes we observe.

Link to our MatLab scripts for working with FTICR-MS data

For Fun:  Links to Chemistry Videos from around the Web.

**MAZZER LAB NEWS**

Liang just got back from the National SOT Meeting, where she presented her work.  Congratulations!

Jordan and Corinne are presenting their work tomorrow at the 60th Tidewater Science Fair--Good Luck!