Lodder, Robert*

Introduction to the Lodder Lab

QuEChERS Food Safety

The Analytical Spectroscopy Research Group at the University of Kentucky is an organization dedicated to basic research in noninvasive chemical analysis, medical imaging, and drug and technology development. Dr. Lodder's group consists of faculty, staff and students trained in diverse analytical techniques and sophisticated computational methods. Instruments available to the group represent cutting-edge technology, traditional methods, and experimental instruments developed by group members. The Analytical Spectroscopy Research Group is housed in the University of Kentucky Biopharmaceutical Complex, where most of the drug research is performed. Our group is affiliated with Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy, the Analytical and Radionuclear division in the Department of Chemistry, the multidisciplinary Center for Nutritional Sciences, and the Gill Heart Institute. Most of the instruments used by the group are located in our laboratories in the Biopharmaceutical Complex, including near- infrared spectrometers and near-IR video cameras, MAReNIR and acoustic / ultrasonic spectrometers, and a tunable near-IR laser system. A UV-visible spectrophotometer and fluorescence spectrometer are in the laboratories, along with separations systems including capillary electrophoresis, microbore LC, SDS-PAGE, TLC, and plate and gel CCD imagers. A centrifuge and ultracentrifuge are in the lab for separations on a larger scale. A special chamber for temperature-controlled studies in an inert gas environment enables near-IR spectrometry and imaging to be conducted on samples like carotid plaques along with separations like ultracentrifugation, without ever exposing the sample to the laboratory atmosphere. Computer facilities are also available. The ASRG has its own machine shop and electronic shop. The group also has access to many additional resources (MRI, MS, STM/AFM, SEM, etc.) available in the University of Kentucky research environment. Opportunities for collaboration with leading researchers in medical and other fields provides access to expertise and technology that allows the group to expand to suit the needs of almost any commercial project.

Personnel:

PI: Robert Lodder
Postdocs: Mark Ensor, Ph.D., Rebecca Smith, Ph.D.
Grad Student: Jarrod WIlliams
Undergrad: Sam Davidson
Staff: Joshua Miller

Computational methods:

Optical ray tracing - Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), based on the diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data acquired from magnetic resonance experiments, to analyze the physical structure of animal tissue. In development.

Software:

Matlab, Octave, Blender

Collaborators:

Steve Lehotay, Ph.D. at the USDA ARS

Publications

Grants

Lodder, Robert 03-09-UK Development of Food Model Systems and Application of QuEChERS Technologies for Detection of Chemical and Bilogical Threats to the Food Supply $2,970,758 National Institute for Hometown Security 3/1/2011 3/31/2014