Karolinska Stable Isotope Core (KSIC)

Description

Goals: Support and educate Karolinska researchers with the use of stable isotope tracers to quantify metabolic pathways in vivo.

Administration of stable isotope labelled metabolites to patients and human volunteers allows the quantification of many metabolic pathways in vivo in a safe way. Stable isotope are non-radioactive and therefore safe to use in humans including children, patients and pregnant women. Methods to quantify many pathways in intermediary pathway have been developed over the last 50 years (among others glucose production and utilisation rates, gluconeogenesis, lypolysis, rate of cholesterol synthesis, protein synthetic and breakdown rates).

The Karolinska Stable Isotope Core will supply expertise in study design, stable isotope analysis utilising different mass spectrometry techniques, data analysis and development of new methodology. The core is run by international experts in stable isotope research in close collaborations with other stable isotope core facilities at the Mayo Clinic (USA), University of Maastricht (Netherlands) and Auvergne Human Nutrition Research Center (France). Availability and prices will be discussed on a case to case basis. Priority will be determined by a board of directors.

Methods presently used routinely:

• Whole body glucose turnover rates
• Whole body protein turnover rates
• Whole body glutamine kinetics
• Synthesis rates of tissue protein
• Glutathione synthesis rates
• Tissue glucose utilisation

• Home