Research & Expertise
We support research projects in environmental medicine and clinical pharmacology by developing and perform sensitive, custom-made analytical methods for complex biological matrices. Our work integrates advanced sample preparation, chromatographic separation, and mass‑spectrometric detection.
We utilize state-of-art analytical methods and have a wide expertise in both targeted and untargeted small‑molecule analysis. All methods are validated for research use and include rigorous quality control with certified materials.
Analytical Techniques
- Liquid Chromatography – Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (LC‑MS/MS)
- Liquid Chromatography – High‑Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC‑HRMS)
- Gas Chromatography – Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (GC‑MS/MS)
- Direct Mercury Analyzer with thermal decomposition, gold‑filter amalgamation, and cold vapor atomic absorption
- Advanced sample preparation: Solid Phase Extraction (SPE)
Examples of Current Analytical Methods
- Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in human biological material
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorines in serum
- Glucocorticoids in hair
- Mercury (Hg) in blood, urine, and hair
- Pharmaceuticals and metabolites in biological samples
About the group leader Flemming Nielsen
Flemming is an analytical chemist specializing in the chemical analysis of environmental toxicants and pharmaceuticals in human biological samples for use in epidemiological and clinical research. My core expertise includes analytical chromatography, mass spectrometry, quality assurance, and validation of analytical methods.
Throughout my career, I have developed and implemented modern analytical methods enabling the detection and quantification of several hundred chemical compounds—including pharmaceuticals, drug metabolites, endogenous biomarkers, antioxidants, oxidative stress markers, trace metals, and a broad range of environmental toxicants.
Over the past fifteen years, my primary research focus has been the analysis of perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mercury in human samples for exposure assessment in environmental epidemiology studies with focus on neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity and hormon disrupting effects. Targeted analysis of pharmaceuticals has been performed e.g. for pharmacokinetic studies.
My chemical analytical expertise spans manual and automated solid-phase extraction (SPE) techniques, liquid and gas chromatographic methods combined with triple quadrupole and high‑resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry, supporting both targeted and non-targeted chemical analyses. Trace metal determinations in hair, blood, and tissue have been performed using atom absorption (Direct Mercury Analysis).
Under my supervision, the analytical laboratories at CPPEM, have conducted PFAS, PCB, and mercury analyses for major cohort studies, including the Faroese child cohorts (Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, Faroese Hospital System) and the Odense Child Cohort (Odense University Hospital).
I have collaborated extensively in international research initiatives, including projects with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (USA), the Flemish Institute of Technological Research (VITO, Belgium), and the Human Biomonitoring Programme for the European Union (HBM4EU).