Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Core Facility
Scott A. McCallum, Ph.D.
Director, NMR Core Facility
Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Room 1143
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 8th Street
Troy, NY 12180-3590
E-mail: mccals@rpi.edu
Office phone: 518-276-2856
NMR Lab phone: 518-276-4286
Fax: 518-276-2851
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute houses a state-of-the-art Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Core Facility in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.
The facility provides an ideally suited environment for carrying out investigative research toward challenging biomedical and material problems.
In addition to providing access to expert users, the Facility encourages researchers of all experience levels by offering training, support, collaborative research opportunities, and service in applying NMR-based biomolecular and/or analytical applications.
NMR is an extremely powerful research tool capable of characterizing at atomic resolution the three-dimensional structure, motional dynamics, folding pathways, and binding kinetics and thermodynamics of biomolecules.
Researchers at Rensselaer actively utilize the instrumentation to investigate the structural basis and treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer.
Active projects also include basic research in RNA folding, structure-function analysis of protein glycosylation, and the structural basis for protein recognition of natural carbohydrates and for rationally designed carbohydrate-based therapeutics.
Instrumentation
Currently, the facility has two fully operational Bruker 800 (18.8 Tesla) and 600 MHz (14.1 Tesla) NMR spectrometers. Each is equipped with 4 RF channels, an ultra-sensitive HCN cryoprobe with a z-axis gradient, and a room temperature HCN probe with triple-axis gradients. Cryoprobes are equipped with cryogenically cooled 1H/13C/15N/2H RF coils and 1H/13C/2H preamplifiers providing for enhanced sensitivity.
In addition, the facility offers both LINUX and Windows based workstations complete with a variety of software packages for data processing and analysis.
A sample preparation workspace complete with tabletop, micro, and NMR tube centrifuges, pH meter, and wet bench are also available to facility users.
This world class facility is also designed as the future home of an ultra-high field 950-MHz spectrometer, and a 700-MHz wide bore instrument for solid state NMR and microimaging applications.
The purchase of a 64 processor LINUX cluster is underway and will be available for applications including structure calculations and high-performance data processing such as non-uniform data sampling and projection reconstruction techniques.
Facility Mission
The NMR facility was established with the mission of becoming a regional center for open use by both academic and industrial researchers throughout the upstate NY community and beyond.
Therefore, all researchers interested in utilizing these facilities (including the scheduling of training, and to obtain instrument time and rate information) are highly encouraged to contact Scott McCallum, the Director of the NMR core facility.
Facility staff is also highly receptive and supportive of the development of new methods to enhance and facilitate NMR-based biomolecular, chemical, and analytical applications.
Service work and assisted access is available to industry with clearly defined Intellectual Property protection.
In addition, consultation and research support services may be available with appropriate interaction through RPI’s technology transfer personnel within the Department of Research Administration. (Richard E. Scammell, WH 3rd Fl, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180 518-276-6177).
 Policy for Use
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