Biomarkers Core Laboratory (Irving Institute)

Overview of Services

The Biomarkers Core Laboratory at the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research is an advanced analytical resource center, offering research support to pre-clinical, translational, and clinical investigators at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and other academic institutions.

Our Mission is to offer expertise, state-of-the-art technologies, and instrumentation for the quantitative assessment of biomarkers, drugs, targeted metabolomics, and lipidomics.

Our Services

Biomarker Assays

A Biomarker is defined as “a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention.” We offer immunoassay based manual and automated analytical assays (ELISA/RIA/CLIA/Luminex) for the targeted and multiplexed quantitation of biomarkers in complex biological matrices.

Targeted Metabolomics

Targeted metabolomics is the hypothesis-driven, relative or absolute quantitative assessment of a subset of metabolites often linked to a specific pathway (glycolysis, TCA cycle). We offer several Liquid and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS) based targeted metabolomics panels including acylcarnitines, amino acids, bile acids, free fatty acids, steroids, organic acids, and Biocrates p180 metabolomics kit.

Targeted Lipidomics

Targeted profiling of a wide range of lipid species from different classes would offer systems-level information on the metabolic status and aid in the novel biomarker discovery. We offer a targeted lipidomics panel comprising 590 individual lipid species belonging to 34 lipid classes including glycerolipids, sphingolipids, and glycerophospholipids.

Pharmacokinetic Profiling

The Biomarkers Core also offers several LC-MS/MS based assays for small molecule drug monitoring for pharmacokinetic profiling. The Core will also develop extensively validated quantitative assays for novel drugs to support PK/PD studies.

Biorepository

The Biomarkers Core provides biobanking support for investigators at Columbia University Medical Center. Our services include biospecimen processing (blood, urine, saliva), aliquoting and -80C freezer storage for the duration of clinical studies.

Consultation

The facility director and the dedicated staff members have extensive expertise in the immunoassay and mass spectrometry-based biomarker assays and targeted metabolomics. Please contact us prior to the initiation of biospecimen collection and/or submission of a service request to discuss blood processing guidelines, core policies and to identify an appropriate analytical strategy (methods and analytical platforms).

Instrumentation:

Roche Cobas Integra ®400 Plus, Siemens IMMULITE® 1000 system, Luminex 200
LC-MS/MS: Waters Xevo TQ, Waters Xevo TQ-S, Agilent 6490, Agilent 6410 and AbSciex API4000 Triple Quadrupole (QQQ) Mass Spectrometers integrated either with nanoLC or UPLC systems
GC-MS/MS: Agilent 6890 Single Quad and Agilent 7890A Triple Quad Mass spectrometers

Leadership

Renu Nandakumar, PhD
Director
212-305-0871
rn2374@cumc.columbia.edu
For information on existing services or for the development of new assays 

Location and hours of operation

Links and Resources

Biomarker Core Laboratory Website

Contacts