Honours Project Book - Faculty of Health Sciences - University of ...
Honours Project Book - Faculty of Health Sciences - University of ...
Honours Project Book - Faculty of Health Sciences - University of ...
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PROJECT: (Basic) Measurement <strong>of</strong> vitamins A, D and E<br />
in dried blood spots.<br />
Supervisors<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong> Robert Gibson<br />
Dr Jo Zhou<br />
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/foodplus/<br />
Contact Person<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong> Robert Gibson<br />
robert.gibson@adelaide.edu.au.<br />
Please use the subject heading ‘<strong>Honours</strong> <strong>Project</strong>’.<br />
<strong>Project</strong> Background<br />
Assessing the nutritional status <strong>of</strong> humans and animals<br />
is <strong>of</strong> vital importance to evaluating overall health. In<br />
both animal and human trials, blood sample analysis<br />
is an integral part <strong>of</strong> assessing physiological and<br />
immune function in participants. This blood collection<br />
is invasive and analysis involves using volumes <strong>of</strong><br />
blood, which are not possible to obtain from some<br />
animals and new born infants. We have developed a<br />
new system that is based on analysis <strong>of</strong> a single drop<br />
<strong>of</strong> capillary blood collected by a finger/heel prick on<br />
to a piece <strong>of</strong> filter paper and dried. In this project we<br />
will aim to develop and validate a method <strong>of</strong><br />
assessing the fat soluble vitamins that are important<br />
to good health in dried blood spot samples.<br />
This project will ideally suit an enthusiastic student<br />
who is interested in learning more about nutrition and<br />
the development <strong>of</strong> assays for detecting biomarkers<br />
for assessing nutrient status.<br />
Techniques/Skills Learnt<br />
• Scientific writing and literature reviews<br />
• Basic laboratory techniques<br />
• Chemical extraction<br />
• Gas chromatography<br />
• High performance liquid chromatography<br />
Key References<br />
Santos J, Mendiola JA, Oliveira MB, Ibáñez E, Herrero M.<br />
Sequential determination <strong>of</strong> fat- and water-soluble<br />
vitamins in green leafy vegetables during storage. J<br />
Chromatogr A. 2012 May 3. [Epub ahead <strong>of</strong> print]<br />
Thomas JB, Sharpless KE, Yen JH, Rimmer CA.<br />
Determination <strong>of</strong> fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids in<br />
standard reference material 3280<br />
multivitamin/multielement tablets by liquid<br />
chromatography with absorbance detection. J AOAC<br />
Int. 2011 May-Jun;94(3):815-22.<br />
Granado-Lorencio F, Herrero-Barbudo C, Blanco-Navarro<br />
I, Pérez-Sacristán B. Suitability <strong>of</strong> ultra-high performance<br />
liquid chromatography for the determination <strong>of</strong> fatsoluble<br />
nutritional status (vitamins A, E, D, and individual<br />
carotenoids). Anal Bioanal Chem. 2010 Jun;397(3):1389-<br />
93. Epub 2010 Apr 1.<br />
PROJECT: (Basic) Measurement <strong>of</strong> nutrients in breast<br />
milk.<br />
Supervisors<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong> Robert Gibson<br />
Dr Jo Zhou<br />
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/foodplus/<br />
Contact Person<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong> Robert Gibson<br />
robert.gibson@adelaide.edu.au.<br />
Please use the subject heading ‘<strong>Honours</strong> <strong>Project</strong>’.<br />
<strong>Project</strong> Background<br />
Assessing the nutritional status <strong>of</strong> humans and animals<br />
is <strong>of</strong> vital importance to evaluating overall health. In<br />
both animal and human studies, assessing the<br />
nutrient level in breast milk <strong>of</strong> dams/mothers is vital for<br />
an understanding <strong>of</strong> the nutrients that pups/babies<br />
receive. Currently there is no method to easily<br />
measure the nutrients in breast milk. We have<br />
developed a new system that is based on analysis <strong>of</strong><br />
a single drop <strong>of</strong> breast milk on to a piece <strong>of</strong> filter<br />
paper and dried. Sections <strong>of</strong> the dried milk spot can<br />
then be analysed by mass spectrometry. In this<br />
project we will aim to develop and validate a<br />
method <strong>of</strong> assessing a range <strong>of</strong> nutrients that are<br />
important to good health <strong>of</strong> infants.<br />
This project will ideally suit an enthusiastic student<br />
who is interested in learning more about nutrition and<br />
the development <strong>of</strong> assays for detecting biomarkers<br />
for assessing nutrient status.<br />
Techniques/Skills Learnt<br />
• Scientific writing & literature review<br />
• Dietary intake assessment<br />
• General laboratory techniques<br />
• Analysis <strong>of</strong> breast milk nutrient levels<br />
• Mass spectroscopy<br />
Key References<br />
Jones DP, Park Y, Ziegler TR. Nutritional Metabolomics:<br />
Progress in Addressing Complexity in Diet and <strong>Health</strong>.<br />
Ann Rev Nutr. 2012 Apr 23. [Epub ahead <strong>of</strong> print]<br />
Mäkelä J, Linderborg K, Niinikoski H, Yang B, Lagström H.<br />
Breast milk fatty acid composition differs between<br />
overweight and normal weight women: the STEPS Study.<br />
Eur J Nutr. 2012 May 26. [Epub ahead <strong>of</strong> print]<br />
Hoppu U, Isolauri E, Laakso P, Matomäki J, Laitinen K.<br />
Probiotics and dietary counselling targeting maternal<br />
dietary fat intake modifies breast milk fatty acids and<br />
cytokines. Eur J Nutr. 2012 Mar;51(2):211-9. Epub 2011<br />
May 31.<br />
Scholarships Available: Yes *<br />
* Scholarships are competitive and are awarded<br />
principally on academic merit.<br />
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