Isothermal titration calorimetry instrumentation for structural biology, biological mechanisms and drug discovery

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Biomolecular interactions and characterisations form the basis of a plethora of research projects at King's, from fundamental investigations of molecular mechanisms to more applied research with medical and social impact. There is an increasing need to improve the precision and accuracy of these characterisations to achieve a detailed understanding of health and disease pathways and mechanisms, to facilitate the translation of this science towards outcomes that will benefit society. One of the key techniques used for such investigations is isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), which provides a universal approach to study in detail how molecules are able to interact with one another, for example to understand which potential drug is able to block its target more efficiently, how bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, or to explain the fundamental bases of life. For the many groups at King's, spread across four Faculties, there is a clear and urgent demand to improve upon the results that we can currently produce, and enable the characterisation and/or identification of new biochemical reactions or molecular assemblies that play a key role in a number of fields, including host-pathogen interactions, natural product biosynthesis, ageing, cardiovascular research, cancer, chemical biology and bioengineering, neurological disorders, signalling pathways, asthma and allergy. The instrumentation requested here holds promise of transforming the science of a wide user-base community at King's. King's is a leading international research institution across a range of biological disciplines, thus the potential for this investment of local provision of ITC instrumentation to add value is enormous. The ITC instrumentations will be part of the Wellcome Trust-supported Centre for Biomolecular Spectroscopy and will operate in synergy with other methodologies, integrating with other biophysical and structural biology methods and promoting exchanges with other in-house infrastructure and platforms (e.g. mass spectrometry, 'omics' platforms, imaging). The setting within the Centre will also facilitate usage by researchers from other academic institutions and/or industries, widening the breadth of the science that will be performed. Equipped with the latest ITC instrumentation, the Centre will contribute to the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of fundamental bioscience and permit state-of-the-art characterisation of biological therapeutics, to tackle strategic challenges in line with the BBSRC remit and priorities. The new instrument will strengthen the strategic mission of the Centre for Biomolecular Spectroscopy to deliver the highest quality data for internationally competitive research, train new generations of scientists in cutting edge methodologies, promote exchange of ideas and foster new interdisciplinary approaches (with academia and industries) for solving fundamental biological questions, addressing new therapeutic and societal challenges and providing benefits for human health.