Advanced Metabolomics
At PNNL, we use advanced metabolomics techniques to measure, identify, and analyze small molecules in biological systems with high sensitivity and on a large scale. This includes mass spectrometric analysis and prediction of molecular properties to identify unknown chemical structures.
Ecosystem Science
With deep scientific expertise, world-class equipment, and a collaborative culture, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers study ecosystems in detail to better understand and predict how they function and respond to change.
Synthetic Biology
Biological systems are complex, but when broken down into smaller parts, we can better understand how and why those parts operate the way they do and decide if we can use them in a different way. Doing synthetic biology with microorganisms beyond standard bacteria or yeast is where PNNL researchers are making their mark.
Microbiome Science
PNNL’s microbiome science research deploys omics and synthetic biology to understand and manipulate the functional architecture of communal microorganisms.
Computational Biology
At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, computational biology is the organizing framework that reveals fundamental processes and principles.
Spatial and Single-Cell Proteomics
To enable proteomic studies on single cells, PNNL researchers developed the Nanodroplet Processing in One Pot for Trace Samples, or nanoPOTS, platform. This platform for nanoscale proteomics enhances the efficiency and recovery of sample processing and minimizes surface losses by downscaling processing volumes to less than 200 nL. When combined with ultrasensitive liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, the nanoPOTS platform provides in-depth proteomics analyses of biological samples as small as single cells.
Integrative Omics
Life is dynamic, complex, and interconnected—qualities that start with biomolecules, the primary target of PNNL’s integrative omics team.
Structural Biology
At PNNL, scientists study molecular structures at large scales such as proteins. We work to understand how proteins detoxify environmental contaminants, how fungi degrade biomass into various components of biofuels, and how plants adapt to changing environments.
Atmospheric Science
If Earth were the size of an apple, its atmosphere would be no thicker than the apple’s skin. What happens within that thin atmospheric layer is essential to life on the planet, from the quality of the air we breathe to the rainfall that supports agriculture and ecosystems.