UNT researchers have pioneered a process to create chemical maps of cellular structures at the molecular level, resulting in a better understanding of how plants and animals function. Patrick Horn, a doctoral student under the direction of Kent Chapman, Regents Professor of biochemistry, collaborated with students of Guido Verbeck, assistant professor of chemistry, in developing the process in the Imaging Mass Spectrometry Laboratory. Horn used technology developed by Verbeck to visualize the chemical composition of lipid droplets.
Lipids are present in all organisms and typically are stored as fats and oils in small droplets. The team’s research recently was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry and also was recognized by the Faculty of 1000, an organization that identifies and evaluates the most important articles in biology and medical research publications.