A New Exposure Core Resource Measuring Real-World Chemical Exposures
EHSC Core Facility for Untargeted and Targeted Exposure Analysis
Joining established resources like the West Coast Metabolomics Center, the Proteomics Core and the Air Quality Research Center, the Biospecimen Exposome Analytical Facility fills a critical gap by measuring what people are actually exposed to at the biological level. Integrated into the Environmental Health Sciences Center's P30 Exposure Core, the facility will serve both campus researchers and community members, combining untargeted methods that reveal what compounds are present with targeted methods that quantify how much. Together, these approaches will give researchers and communities a fuller picture of chemical exposure and its potential health impacts.
Leadership
Dr. Jun Yang | Director
Dr. Jun Yang, a Research Scientist in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, will direct the new Biospecimen Exposome Analytical Facility. An experienced analytical chemist and metabolomics expert, he brings deep experience in analytical and data analysis methodology, along with metabolomics and lipidomics platform development, to the facility's mission of untangling complex biological exposure data.
Dr. Ameer Taha | Co-Director
Dr. Ameer Taha, Professor of Food Science and Technology, will serve as Co-Director of the facility. His lab uses mass spectrometry-based “omic” methods to quantify oxidized lipids and environmental toxins—including pesticides and antibiotics—in the food supply and their effects on the brain, with current work spanning maternal pesticide exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders to understanding the extent of human antibiotic exposures through seafood.
What the Facility Can Measure
The Biospecimen Exposome Analytical Facility is equipped with state-of-the-art mass spectrometry platforms to support both discovery-based and quantitative exposure research:
Instrumentation
- Agilent 7890/5975 GC/MS
- Waters Acquity UPLC / TQS Xevo
- Agilent 1260 UHPLC/ AB Sciex 6500+ QTrap
- Agilent 1200 UHPLC / AB Sciex 4000 QTrap
- Agilent 1260 UHPLC / Bruker Tims-Q TOF MS
Current Targeted Methods
- Pesticides (185 compounds)
- Flame retardants and PAHs (60 compounds)
- Antibiotics (30 compounds)
- PFAS/PFOS (6 compounds)
- Quaternary amines (10 compounds)
These targeted panels are paired with untargeted screening to give researchers a comprehensive view of chemical exposure—identifying novel or unexpected compounds alongside precise measurements of known contaminants of concern. The facility's method library continues to grow in response to emerging research needs.
