Vanderbilt University has placed a major multi-systems NMR order with Bruker, including an ultra-high field AVANCE III 900 US2 NMR spectrometer. Vanderbilt will use these NMR instruments for a broad range of biophysical and structural analyses in biomedical research, as well as for cancer drug discovery using fragment-based approaches and structure-based drug design.
Based on Bruker’s 900 MHz (21.2 Tesla) actively-shielded US2 magnet, the AVANCE III 900 offers one of the highest magnetic fields for NMR applications. The 900 US2 magnet combines Bruker’s proprietary UltraShield active shielding and UltraStabilized sub-cooling technologies. The result is a 900 MHz magnet with a small footprint, which can be sited within Vanderbilt’s existing NMR facility. The system includes unique CryoProbe technology enabling Vanderbilt researchers to benefit from the increased sensitivity and RF efficiency of this cryogenically-cooled NMR probe.
Vanderbilt’s major NMR order includes additional AVANCE III consoles for existing 800, 600, and 500 MHz NMR magnets, thus creating one of the largest state-of-the-art NMR centers. The AVANCE III is the fastest and highest performing NMR spectrometer on the market, according to Bruker. Its architecture delivers digital control, speed, flexibility, and pure NMR frequency generation.
“We are ecstatic about this leap forward in our ability to perform NMR experiments on biological macromolecules,” said Walter Chazin, Chancellor’s Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, and director of the Center for Structural Biology at Vanderbilt. “The acquisition of this new technology is critical to the cutting edge research being performed with our NMR facilities. The addition of the new 900 MHz instrument is especially important as it will provide enhanced capability for our most challenging NMR projects, which study complex integral membrane proteins, damaged genes, and multi-protein machines. We look forward to new breakthroughs in understanding the biology and medical impact of these systems, as well as the discovery of molecular probes and drug candidates from investigations using this new instrumentation.”
Date: June 1, 2010
Source: Vanderbilt University
