Acquisition of a 500 MHz NMR Spectrometer for the University of Southern Calif

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The chemical and biomolecular research community of the University of Southern California, currently funded by eighteen NIH grants, is requesting a grant support for the acquisition of a 500 MHz NMR spectrometer. This instrument is badly needed to replace aging instrumentation, which hampers the progress of our NIH- sponsored research activities. This purchase will significantly extend the availability of NMR spectroscopy to current research projects at our University Park campus and support ongoing growth of biomedical-focused chemical research. The spectrometer will support many projects that have strong biomedical relevance and clearly significant impact on human health. These range from basic research on new chemical reactivity to drug discovery, enzyme structure and function, and nanoscale medical diagnostics. Our major users are involved in research in three general areas: DNA polymerase fidelity mechanisms (Goodman, McKenna, Prakash), peptide aptamers as molecular probes (Thompson, Roberts), and new synthetic methods and small molecule-based drug discovery (Jung, Prakash, Williams, McKenna, Petasis). These research projects are producing high impact, transformative innovations in areas of synthetic methodology, complex molecule synthesis, drug discovery, development of molecular probes, biochemistry, medical diagnostics, and nanotechnology. Each of these programs requires state of the art NMR instrumentation. The requested instrument will have an immediate and lasting impact on all science conducted in the chemistry, biology, and pharmaceutical sciences departments and facilitates the training and education of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral scientists at a high level. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: NMR spectroscopy is a primary tool for the elucidation of molecular structure, and the aging infrastructure of our NMR facility is limiting the progress of eighteen NIH-sponsored research programs on our campus. The requested spectrometer will enable structural analysis of small molecule drug candidates, catalysts for new chemical methodology, and molecular probes at a level beyond our current capabilities. It will also be a key analytical tool for studying small molecule-protein interactions and optimizing new nano devices for medical diagnostics.