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Ala F Nassar, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

Contact Information

Ala F Nassar, PhD

Mailing Address

  • Yale School of Medicine

    600 west campus drive

    West Haven, CT 06516

    United States

Chen Lab

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Research Summary

Our areas of expertise include drug metabolism, bioanalytical chemistry and mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry makes it possible to identify hundreds or even thousands of different proteins in a mixture of molecules. We used several mass spec tools to study the ADME-Tox properties of new molecules. Also, we applied single-cell resolution capabilities of proteomics and metabolomics to seek deeper understanding of biology and cellular heterogeneity. Such studies should help facilitate new target and biomarker discovery in drug development and translational research.

Extensive Research Description

Our research focuses on understanding how structure modification can improve the ADME-Tox profile for new chemical entities as they advance toward clinical candidacy. Our recent efforts use Mass Cytometry & MALDI-IHC as novel tools for Cancer Research. With their capacity for tremendous detail, these techniques produce enhanced investigative power for analyses involving simultaneous cellular profiling of multiple cell populations. Our latest endeavors are focused on an advance in single cell analysis using a hybrid mass spectrometry-flow cytometry instrument to identify and characterize rare cell types in clinical samples. Another emphasis is the development of mass spectrometric and proteomic methods for application in biological and clinical contexts to identify and quantify proteins with greater depth and coverage in a single cell.

Coauthors

Research Interests

Metabolism; Pharmacology; Mass Spectrometry; Proteomics; Metabolomics; Single-Cell Analysis

Public Health Interests

Cancer

Research Image

Workflow of mass cytometry analysis

A liquid sample containing cells labeled with heavy metal isotope-conjugated probes (ICPs) (a) is introduced into the nebulizer (b), where it is aerosolized. The aerosol droplets are directed into the ICP torch (c),

where the cells are vaporized, atomized, and ionized. Low-mass ions are

removed in the radiofrequency (RF) quadrupole ion guide (d), resulting in a cloud of ions enriched for the probe isotopes. The ion cloud then enters the time-of-flight (TOF) chamber (e),

where the ions are separated on the basis of their mass:charge ratio as

they accelerate toward the detector. Thus, the time-resolved detector

measures a mass spectrum (f) that represents the identity and quantity of each isotope on a per cell basis. Data are generated in .fcs format (g) and analyzed using the cloud-based Cytobank platform (h).

Selected Publications

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