Demonstration & Competence Lab (DCL)

Our DCL teamThe Demonstration and Competence Lab (DCL) offers a highly structured environment for advanced metabolomics studies. DCL builds on fully validated, state-of-the-art platforms that each cover a part of the human metabolism and together span the complete human metabolome. DCL is particularly geared towards biomarker discovery of human disease and health.

DCL works according to ISO17025 guidelines and employs rigorous quality standards, working with well validated methods and using our quality control pipeline which provides correction for analytical variation, data monitoring by means of quality control reports and data standardization. This ensures robust data that enables truly comparative studies.

DCL is the core facility of the Netherlands Metabolomics Centre (NMC) and its customers include internal as well as external academic collaborators and pharmaceutical and industrial clients from all over the world, measuring over 15,000 profiles annually. DCL does not only perform routine measurements, but operates at the frontier of metabolomics developments and opportunities. The DCL team covers the complete track from involvement in experimental design, study set-up and sample collection to the actual measurements, data analysis, identification of unknown compounds and comprehensive feedback on the results. In close collaboration with customers, DCL defines a tailor-made approach that offers the best fit between your biological question and optimal use of the potential of our highly advanced facilities.

 

Currently available DCL platforms:

  total number of metabolites identified metabolites  absolute quantification volume plasma/serum required for analysis     metabolite classes covered
Untargeted profiling platforms     
Apolar lipids 800 250 10 10 µl phospholipids, cholesterol esters, di/triglycerides
Polar lipids 150 150 40 20 µl free fatty acids, phospholipids
Global medium polar 250 120 40 50 µl primary metabolites, sugars, organic acids, amines
Bile acids 15 15 15 50 µl bile acids

Targeted platforms
       
Oxylipins 120 120 80 250 µl hydroxylated fatty acids, prostaglandins, thromboxanes
Biogenic amines 100 100 70 5 µl amino acids, catecholamines, polyamines
Acylcarnitines    50 50 20 10 µl acylcarnitines, TMAO, choline, betaine
Research platforms        
Global apolar 400 150 40 50 µl peptides, hormones, cofactors
Central carbon/energy metabolism 300 220 100 10 µl sugar phosphates, nucleotides
Nitrosylated/signaling lipids 60 60 60 250 µl isoprostanes, sphinganine, sphingosine phosphate
Endocannabinoids 7 7 7 100 µl fatty acid amines
Folic acids 6 6 6   folate pathway metabolites

Being embedded in the Netherlands Metabolomics Centre ensures that new technological opportunities are quickly recognized and further developed into new platforms. The DCL portfolio is therefore continuously improved and expanded.

More information & contact

For more information on technical details, access to DCL facilities and opportunities for collaboration, please contact Amy Harms, Senior Scientist at DCL, at: a.c.harms@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl