Alneyadi Aysha, Shah Iltaf, Ashraf Syed Salman
Department of Biology, College of Science, UAE University, Al Ain, UAE.
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, UAE University, Al Ain, UAE.
Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2019 May;47(3):228-238. doi: 10.1002/bmb.21225. Epub 2019 Feb 21.
Active-learning strategies such as undergraduate research courses and course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), which engage students in the practical experiments, have been reported as efficient ways for effective teaching and training of graduating students. Recently, many practical examples have been published in various fields to develop critical skills needed by undergraduate students for graduate school or the workforce; however, very few examples have been published for bioanalytical topics, specifically, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Herein, we describe an innovative undergraduate research course that was used to train well-prepared graduating seniors on LC-MS-MS and in developing a sensitive method for detecting vitamin B9 (folic acid) levels in different milk samples. During this semester-long exercise, the students were exposed to literature review, basic UV-Vis spectroscopy, and HPLC and LC-MS-MS techniques. Additionally, as part of this laboratory-based research course, they researched published approaches on analyzing folic acid in food samples and devised a method to extract and quantify folic acid levels in different brands of milk using LC-MS-MS instruments. Feedback from students and faculty members was very positive as the students felt that this opportunity helped them to become more comfortable using HPLC and LC-MS-MS instruments and felt empowered to answer real-life analytical problems. This laboratory-based undergraduate research course can also be modified and used as an advanced bioanalytical laboratory exercise in biochemistry or analytical chemistry courses. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(3):228-238, 2019.
主动学习策略，如本科研究课程和基于课程的本科研究经历（CUREs），能让学生参与实际实验，已被报道为有效教学和培养即将毕业学生的有效方式。最近，各个领域已发表了许多实际案例，以培养本科生进入研究生院或职场所需的关键技能；然而，针对生物分析主题，特别是液相色谱 - 质谱联用（LC-MS-MS）的案例却很少。在此，我们描述了一门创新的本科研究课程，该课程用于培训准备充分的应届毕业生掌握LC-MS-MS技术，并开发一种灵敏的方法来检测不同牛奶样品中的维生素B9（叶酸）水平。在这个为期一学期的实践中，学生接触了文献综述、基本的紫外可见光谱法以及高效液相色谱和液相色谱 - 质谱联用技术。此外，作为这门基于实验室的研究课程的一部分，他们研究了已发表的食品样品中叶酸分析方法，并设计了一种使用LC-MS-MS仪器提取和定量不同品牌牛奶中叶酸水平的方法。学生和教师的反馈非常积极，因为学生们觉得这个机会让他们在使用高效液相色谱和液相色谱 - 质谱联用仪器时更加得心应手，并且有能力解决实际的分析问题。这门基于实验室的本科研究课程也可以进行修改，用作生物化学或分析化学课程中的高级生物分析实验室实践。© 2019国际生物化学与分子生物学联盟，47(3):228 - 238, 2019。
