Ronald D Macfarlane
Distinguished Professor
Ph. D., Carnegie Institute of Technology
Contact
Information:
Department of Chemistry
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-3255
Phone:
(979) 845-2021
Fax: (979) 862-8987
macfarlane@chem.tamu.edu
The overall objective of the research program is to educate students in the development and application of modern analytical techniques to problems relating to human medicine, specifically cardiovascular disease. This objective is a response to recent initiatives from the federal government relating to health care reform. With the emphasis being shifted toward prevention, improved techniques need to be developed for the detection of coronary heart disease in its earliest stages and a more accurate assessment of the risk of premature cardiac events. The focus of the research is primarily separation and characterization of the lipid-bearing particles in the blood, analysis of their lipid and protein components and statistical interpretation to determine if any characteristic is an independent indicator of increased or decreased risk. This issue represents a challenge to the analytical chemist to develop methodologies that are both specific and highly sensitive. A broad range of methods are currently under development or routinely utilized, particularly microscale ultracentrifugation, capillary electrophoresis, immobilized pH gradient isoelectric focussing with secondary 2D gel separation, mass spectrometry as well as various chromatographic separations, including high performance thin layer chromatography.
This program is a unique opportunity for individuals interested in using and developing state-of-the-art analytical chemistry methodologies to contribute to the solution of important clinical problems.
L.K. Watkins, P.V. Bondarenko, D.C. Barbacci, S. Song, S.L. Cockrill, D.H. Russell and R.D. Macfarlane, "Fast C-18 solid-phase desalting/delipidation of the human serum apolipoproteins for matrix-assisted laser desporption ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analysis" J. Chromatogr. A. 1999, 840, 183.
P.V. Bondarenko, S.L. Cockrill, L.K. Watkins, I.D. Cruzado and R.D. Macfarlane, "Mass spectral study of polymorphism of the apolipoproteins of very low density lipoprotein" J. Lipid Res. 1999, 40, 543.
L.K. Watkins, S.L. Cockrill and R.D. Macfarlane, "Serum Apolipoproteins" In: Methods of Molecular Medicine, Vol. 27: Clinical Applications of Capillary Electrophoresis: Palfrey S.M. (ed.), Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ.
I.D. Cruzado, S.L. Cockrill, C.J. McNeal, and R.D. Macfarlane, "Characterization and quantitation of apolipoprotein B-100 by capillary electrophoresis" J. Lipid Res. 1998, 39, 205.
R.D. Macfarlane, P.V. Bondarenko, S.L.Cockrill, I.D. Cruzado, W. Koss, C.J. McNeal, A.M. Spiekerman, L.W. Watkins, "Development of a lipoprotein profile using capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry" Electrophoresis 1997, 18, 1796.