Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

We lack tools which give deep insight into normal human physiology in vivo. We are reliant on cell and animal models which do not capture human biological variability - a fundamentally important aspect of biology which if understood would lead to more targeted approaches to health. Stable isotopes (SI) are non-radioactive minor versions of elements in biology which are measured by mass spectrometry (MS) and used to trace the flow of molecules though complex systems. Hitherto, SI studies have largely traced single molecules whereas to fully capture the complex dynamics of real life, we need to look at whole systems. In previous BBSRC funded work, we have used low-level SI labelled food to understand diet-gut-microbiome interactions. By targeting the SI labelled (13C) metabolites available through current technology, we demonstrated that a genetic mutation in the starch branching enzymes of peas reduced glucose from digestion and increased carbohydrate fermentation by the gut microbiota in humans (doi.org/10.1038/s43016-020-00159-8). We have a unique biorepository of samples (plasma, urine and stool) from this study which fed complex food structures (cell wall components, starch, protein) but we have lacked the isotope technology to fully probe these samples for all SI features. The new ThemoFisher-Scientific (TFS) Orbitrap Exploris Isotope Solutions (OEIS) MS is a game-changing solution to quantifying unique low-level 13C labelled features with unparalleled sensitivity providing in-depth information about gut microbiota function and linking directly dietary substrates, gut function and microbiome function in vivo. We will use our unique 13C pea study samples to establish proof of concept of this new approach. This project goes significantly beyond the current state of the art to establish deep SI-labelled metabolite profiling in normal "free living" human studies with potential to trace many metabolic pathways simultaneously.

Cosmogenic in-situ 14C refers to the carbon-14 that is formed by cosmic ray interaction within the crystal lattice of surface materials. In-situ 14C allows researchers to measure processes that have occurred in the era of human civilisations, giving us unprecedented ability to measure rates of change prior to, and since, human impacts. Understanding natural processes at these timescales, and the impacts on them of human activity, has immediate and important applications in diverse NERC science fields such as: hazards and risk, soil production and erosion, agricultural development, archaeology, coastal change, glacial and fluvial processes, and tectonic evolution of mountain ranges. In response to UK community demand we propose to develop a new cutting-edge national laboratory to facilitate in situ 14C dating. Specifically, we will deliver the following scientific capability: Sample preparation for separating quartz for 'in-situ 14C' analyses. A single automated, bespoke extraction line for high-throughput extraction of carbon dioxide from mineral samples. Preparation of accelerator mass spectrometry targets for high-precision, low-concentration analyses. This new capability will allow UK researchers to address critical questions about the future of our planet that previously could not be addressed.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.