Rapid identification of synthetic cannabinoids in herbal samples via direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry.

Rationale: Dozens of synthetic cannabinoid analogs purposefully meant to circumvent legal restrictions associated with controlled substances continue to be manufactured and promoted as producing 'legal highs'. These designer drugs are difficult to identify in conventional drug screens not only because routine protocols have not been developed for their detection, but also because their association with complex plant matrices during manufacture generally requires labor-intensive extraction and sample preparation for analysis. To address this new and important challenge in forensic chemistry, Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) is applied to the analysis of these designer drugs.

Abrupt and dynamic changes in gene expression revealed by live cell arrays.

A description of the noise associated with gene expression is presented, based on a simplified form of the combined multistep processes of transcription and translation. These processes are influenced by numerous factors, including the accessibility of promoter regions to the transcriptional machinery, the kinetics of assembly of the transcription complexes, and the synthesis and degradation of both mRNA and proteins, among others. Ultimately, stochasticity in cellular processes results in variation in protein levels.

Cellular heterogeneity and live cell arrays.

In the past decade, the tendency to move from a global, one-size-fits-all treatment philosophy to personalized medicine is based, in part, on the nuanced differences and sub-classifications of disease states. Our knowledge of these varied states stems from not only the ability to diagnose, classify, and perform experiments on cell populations as a whole, but also from new technologies that allow interrogation of cell populations at the individual cell level. Such departures from conventional thinking are driven by the recognition that clonal cell populations have numerous activities that manifest as significant levels of non-genetic heterogeneity.

Quantum dots for positional registration in live cell-based arrays.

For a better understanding of complex biological processes, it is desirable to simultaneously follow the dynamics of multiple components in living cells or organisms in real time. An encoding scheme was developed that enables the observation of multiple cell populations with single-cell resolution. Specifically, different yeast cell types were labeled with quantum dots and added to an array of microwells, where they randomly self-assemble into the complementary-sized cavities.

Quantum dots for live cell and in vivo imaging.

In the past few decades, technology has made immeasurable strides to enable visualization, identification, and quantitation in biological systems. Many of these technological advancements are occurring on the nanometer scale, where multiple scientific disciplines are combining to create new materials with enhanced properties. The integration of inorganic synthetic methods with a size reduction to the nano-scale has lead to the creation of a new class of optical reporters, called quantum dots.