MRI: Acquisition of an automatic NMR sample changer

克拉夫林大学获得了一项奖励，用于购买自动核磁共振（NMR）样品转换器，以进行基于核磁共振的代谢组学研究。代谢组学领域的重点是在一些应激事件或条件下组成代谢的小分子的变化。核磁共振是这些小化合物的极好探测器；统计分析应用于许多核磁共振样品重复，以增加代谢组学技术的稳健性。给Claflin增加一个自动换样器？现有的700 MHz核磁共振不仅将使代谢组学研究更加高效，而且将更加用户友好。具体来说，SampleCaseTM安装在用户高度的仪器上，无需使用梯子。本科生将获得更多收集核磁共振数据的机会，并在基于核磁共振的代谢组学研究方面接受培训。克拉弗林大学拥有南卡罗来纳州第三高的现场核磁共振实验室，仅次于南卡罗来纳州医科大学（MUSC）和霍林斯海洋实验室（HML）。虽然主要是本科大学和HBCU（历史上的黑人学院和大学），Claflin的核磁共振设施正在成为一个州和全国范围内的共享设施，有六个合作代谢组学项目，并计划从其他未来的合作伙伴那里确保该仪器的主要用户。自动化样品交换器将增强当前仪器的能力，并且符合化学系的使命，不仅要成为国家级共享核磁共振设施，而且要支持和加强本科生的研究参与。随着自动样品转换器的增加，Claflin的核磁共振设备将对外部用户更具吸引力，并且能够适应多个本科代谢组学研究项目。坐落在分子科学与研究中心（MSRC）在克拉夫林？校园，国家的最先进的仪器，包括700兆赫布鲁克核磁共振光谱仪，是无与伦比的任何其他HBCU的非凡集合。PI Boroujerdi的实验室专门从事基于核磁共振的代谢组学研究；然而，有了这样一个高磁场的磁铁，通过核磁共振收集和分析大型生物分子样本的能力是可能的，并向任何外部用户开放。克拉弗林大学的本科生热爱基于核磁共振的代谢组学研究。PI Boroujerdi是Claflin最新的生物化学教员，自从她三年前任职以来，她的代谢组学小组呈指数级增长（目前有14名本科生，4名研究生和1名教职员工）。代谢组学的性质使其适合合作，这对于研究兴趣广泛分布于基础生物学研究的克拉弗林本科生来说是理想的。在全国有6个合作者，以及最近对Claflin代谢组学研究的兴趣，对700 MHz核磁共振的需求急剧增加到饱和点。通过自动采样，可以更有效地收集大量常规一维1H光谱，将浪费在人工插入样品和数据收集上的极其低效的人员时间重新集中在台架工作和数据分析上，进一步提高代谢组学组产生数据的质量和数量。为了适应越来越多的本科生参与代谢组学研究，其中包括要求理科生在毕业前撰写和答辩一篇高级论文，建立了许多项目和合作者，这转化为大量的核磁共振样本，需要更有效的核磁共振数据收集。样品制备，结果解释，手稿写作，并提出的结果将增加一个自动化的样品转换器。PI Boroujerdi可以将时间用于培养本科生代谢物提取技术、核磁共振数据统计分析以及梳理文献了解代谢组学结果的生物学意义，而不是将人员时间用于手工常规的核磁共振数据采集，而是自动化采集数据。

An award is made to Claflin University for the purchase of an automated nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) sample changer to do NMR-based metabolomics research. The field of metabolomics focuses on changes to the small molecules that make up metabolism upon some stressful event or condition. NMR serves as an excellent detector of these small compounds; and statistical analysis is applied to many NMR sample replicates to increase the robustness of the metabolomics technique. The addition of an automated sample changer to Claflin?s existing 700 MHz NMR not only will make metabolomics research more efficient, but also the NMR will be more user-friendly. Specifically, the SampleCaseTM is mounted to the instrument at user height and eliminates the use of a ladder. Undergraduate students will gain more access to collecting NMR data and be trained in cutting-edge NMR-based metabolomics research. Claflin University has the third highest field NMR laboratory in the state of South Carolina, just behind the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and the Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML). Although a predominately undergraduate university and HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), Claflin's NMR facility is becoming a state and nation wide shared facility with six collaborative metabolomics projects and plans to secure major users of the instrument from other future collaborative partners. The automated sample changer will enhance the current instrument capabilities, and is in line with the chemistry department's mission to not only become a state level shared NMR facility, but to support and enhance undergraduate research participation. With the addition of an automatic sample changer, Claflin's NMR facility will be more attractive to outside users as well as be able to accommodate multiple undergraduate metabolomics research projects. Housed in the Molecular Science and Research Center (MSRC) on Claflin?s campus, the extraordinary collection of state of the art instrumentation, including the 700 MHz Bruker NMR spectrometer, is unmatched by any other HBCU. PI Boroujerdi's laboratory specializes in NMR-based metabolomics research; however, with such a high field magnet, the capability to collect and analyze large bio-molecular samples via NMR is possible and open to any external users.Claflin undergraduates love NMR-based metabolomics research. PI Boroujerdi is the newest biochemistry faculty member at Claflin, and since the beginning of her tenure three years ago, her metabolomics group has grown exponentially (currently with to 14 undergraduate students, 4 graduate students, and 1 staff). The nature of metabolomics lends itself to collaborations which is ideal for Claflin undergraduates whose research interest are spread far and wide in basic biology research. With 6 collaborators across the nation, and the recent interest in metabolomics research at Claflin, the demand for the 700 MHz NMR has dramatically increased to the point of saturation. With automatic sample collection, the large number of routine one dimensional 1H spectra can be collected more efficiently, and the extremely inefficient personnel time wasted on manual sample insertion and data collection will be refocused on bench work and data analysis, further increasing the quality and quantity of data produced by the metabolomics group. In order to accommodate the increasing number of undergraduates participating in metabolomics research, which includes the requirement for science majors to write and defend a senior thesis prior to graduation, many projects and collaborators have been established, which translates into a large number of NMR samples and a need for more efficient NMR data collection. Sample preparation, interpretation of results, manuscript writing, and presenting results will be increased with the addition of an automated sample changer. Instead of devoting personnel time to manual routine NMR data collection, while data is collected in automation, PI Boroujerdi can devote her time to training undergraduates in metabolite extraction techniques, statistical analysis of NMR data, and combing the literature to understand the biological implications of the metabolomics results.