Abstract:

Understanding functions, various mechanisms, and the effect of stimuli on biological systems are among the challenging research lines that attract scientists from various disciplines. However, determining metabolites with a wide range of physicochemical properties in complex biological matrices is a demanding task. In the scenario mentioned above, in vivo investigation would provide more realistic, therefore more insightful knowledge about the system; however, only a few methods are applicable for in vivo noninvasive monitoring of metabolic changes in the biological systems.

Solid phase microextraction (SPME), one of the leading techniques applicable in vivo, is a sample preparation method that integrates sampling and sample preparation in a single step. The principle of extraction with SPME depends on the equilibrium established between the free concentration of the analyte in the matrix and the extraction phase. Alternatively, pre- equilibrium sampling based on mass transfer kinetics through the boundary layer surrounding the coating can be used to sample dynamic systems. The non-exhaustive nature of the extraction ensures negligible depletion, thus not disturbing the physiological equilibrium of the studied system. Besides, various well-developed calibration approaches enable the determination of both total and free concentrations of a given analyte without any biospecimen removal from the system under study. Furthermore, SPME can take different shapes based on the demands of the study, and up to date, it has been prepared in fiber, micro tip, arrow, coated mesh, coated blades, flexible self-supported membranes, or membranes on a support, and it has been utilized for numerous applications where standard approaches cannot be used.

In this presentation, SPME will be in the spotlight, and its capability will be discussed for untargeted and targeted metabolomics investigation in various applications, including in vivo brain studies, clinical diagnostic studies, and kinetic studies with cell lines.

Short Biography of the Speaker:

Dr. Ezel Boyacı studied chemistry at the Izmir Institute of Technology, Turkey, where she received her M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Analytical Chemistry in 2008 and 2012, respectively. In 2012 she became a postdoctoral fellow at University of Waterloo, Canada in Prof. Dr. Janusz Pawliszyn’s Research Group. In 2016 she became a research associate in the same university. Since September 2017 she is an associate professor at Department of Chemistry, Middle East Technical University, Turkey. Her research interests focused on clinical, pharmaceutical and environmental applications of various formats of solid phase microextraction (SPME), development of new extractive phases for SPME and metabolomics studies using SPME with complementary instrumental techniques such as LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, and LC-HRMS. She has a total of 42 articles in highly reputed journals, and she has a patent for development of SPME coatings. Dr. Boyaci is also active Committee Member of EuChemS-DAC Sample Preparation Study Group and Network, and Editorial Advisory Board of Advances in Sample Preparation.