UA gets $1M spectroscope, plans disease research
Summary:
The University of Arizona will soon become home to one of only a half-dozen super-cooled Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopes (NMR) in the United States. The $1-million instrument will be used to help scientists gain a better understanding of illnesses at the molecular level.
Full Story:
The University of Arizona will soon become home to one of only a half-dozen super-cooled Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopes (NMR) in the United States, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
The $1-million instrument will be used to help scientists gain a better understanding of illnesses at the molecular level, reports Dave Wichner in his Bio File column. To help accomplish this, the spectroscope sports a $200,000 cryogenic probe, a device that makes testing easier by super-cooling the molecules being analyzed.
Wichner reports that scientists plan to use the NMR spectroscope first to study protein changes related to Alzheimer's disease, and expect in the future to gain insights into such illnesses as cancer, coronary artery disease, and arthritis.
Four groups jointly financed the spectroscope and will share in its use: the UA Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, the UA Institute for Biomedical Science and Biotechnology; and the UA colleges of science and medicine. The NMR spectroscope will also be available to private biotech firms on a contract basis.
For more information:
"UA gets nuclear imaging device," Arizona Daily Star, 08/28/2003
UA Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics