2005 IRISH SCIENTIST YEAR BOOK

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Waterford Institute of Technology
Peter Mc Loughlin
Separation Science Research Group (SSRG)

Dr Peter McLoughlin, Dr Patrick Duggan, Dr Helen Hughes, Dr Joe Power, Dr Sheila Donegan, Dr Catherine O'Reilly, Dr Orla O'Donovan, Dr Micheal O'Riordain, Dr Eleanor Owens, Ms Aisling Olwill, Ms Margo Broderick, Ms Sandra Murphy, Mr John Doran, Mr Wayne Cummins, Mr Kevin Flavin and Ms Niamh Holland

The SSRG was established at WIT in 2001. Establishment of this initiative was facilitated through funding under the Technological Sector Research Strand III initiative for which we are most grateful.

Separation science involves the isolation, purification and analysis of complex mixtures of chemical and biological compounds. These techniques are of fundamental importance to a wide range of industries including the pharmaceutical, food, and biotechnology sectors.

Research topics at the SSRG include:

  • Development and optimisation of microemulsions for use in MEEKC

  • Analysis of substrate range and catalytic activity of novel nitrile metabolising enzymes

  • Investigation into the use of sol gel molecular imprinted stationary phases for pharmaceutical analysis

  • Application of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME), in conjunction with MIPs for selective analysis

  • Molecular Imprinting of an Angiotension Converting Enzyme Inhibitor

  • Use of modified Polyvinyl Alcohol in Molecular Imprinted Polymers.

Industrial and academic partners of the SSRG include:

  • Dr Chris Allender, Cardiff University

  • Prof. Mei-Xiang Wang, Chinese National Academy of Science, Institute of Chemistry in Beijing

  • Dr Kevin Altria, GlaxoWellcome, UK

  • Dr Fiona Regan, Dublin City University

  • Eileen Counihan, Merck Sharpe and Dohme Ltd.




Elution profile of 2-aminopyridine in acetonitrile from an imprinted sol gel polymer. [1]


Effect of temperature on expression of AJ115 recombinant amidase. Cultures were induced for 5h at various temperatures with 1mM IPTG. (A) Amidase activity (�mol NH 3 /min/ml/ OD 600 ) of induced cultures, (B) 12% SDS�PAGE of crude cell extracts. Lane 1, uninduced; lane 2, induced at 15�C; lane 3, induced at 20�C; lane 5, Amersham LMW size standard; lane 6, induced at 25�C; lane 7, induced at 30�C; lane 8, induced at 37�C; and lane 9, size standard. [2]


References

[1]�Cummins W., Duggan P and McLoughlin P, Analytica Chimica Acta, Article in Press 2005.

[2]�Doran J., Masterson M., Turner P., and O'Reilly C., Protein Expression and Purification, 40, 1, 190-196, 2005.

For more information please contact:
Dr Peter Mc Loughlin, Tel: + 00353 (0)51 302056; E-mail: [email protected]