MICROCALORIMETRY FACILITY

这项申请是为了一个共享的微量热计设施，它将加强一组由NIH支持的UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson医学院(RWJMS)教员的研究项目。差示扫描量热法(DSC)使人们能够研究广泛的生物系统中的热转变。等温滴定量热法(ITC)是一种热力学技术，用于监测因添加结合组分而引发的任何化学反应或生化反应。ITC已成为表征生物分子相互作用的首选方法。仪器仪表的最新进展使量热技术可以应用于更广泛的生物医学研究问题。如果没有DSC和ITC仪器的组合，微量热计设施将是不完整的。值得注意的是，从DSC和ITC测量得出的数据之间没有重叠。事实上，它们是互补的。很明显，要完全理解结构、能量学和功能之间的复杂相互关系，就需要热力学和结构信息。量热法是唯一可以提供模型无关热力学信息的工具。我们机构将如何应用量热法的例子包括胶原蛋白样肽、肌肉蛋白质、细菌调节系统和药物-核酸相互作用的研究。一个共享的微量热计设施将使我们机构的研究人员能够使用这项强大的技术，它是对现有仪器和方法的补充。这种设施的成功运营需要经验丰富的人员，我们很幸运地在Daniel Pilch博士那里有一位经验丰富的量热师，他最近加入了我们的教职员工。在现有条件下，研究人员在这一应用中的量热需求不能得到满足。RWJMS不存在量热设备。罗格斯大学的一个实验室有微量热计仪器。然而，这种仪器不能满足我们的需要。这项申请中的一些研究人员已经参与了涉及在其他实验室使用微量热计的合作。然而，这种协作的进展因其远距离性质而受到限制，这突显了现场设施的必要性。

This application is for a shared microcalorimetry facility which will strengthen the research projects of a group of NIH-supported faculty members at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) allows one to study thermal transitions in a wide range of biological systems. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is a thermodynamic technique for monitoring any chemical or biochemical reaction initiated by the addition of a binding components. ITC has become the method of choice for characterizing biomolecular interactions. Recent advances in instrumentation have made calorimetry accessible to a broader range of biomedical research problems. A microcalorimetry facility would be incomplete without a combination of both DSC and ITC instrumentation. Significantly, there is no overlap between data derived from DSC and ITC measurements. In fact, they are complementary. It has become apparent that thermodynamic as well as structural information is required for a complete understanding of the complex interrelationships between structure, energetics, and function. Calorimetry is the only tool that can provide model independent thermodynamic information. Examples of how calorimetry would be applied at our institution include the study of collagen-like peptides, muscle proteins, bacterial regulation systems, and drug-nucleic acid interactions. A shared microcalorimetry facility will enable researchers at our institution to use this powerful technique, which complements existing instrumentation and methodologies. The successful operation of such a facility requires experienced personnel, and we are fortunate to have in Dr. Daniel Pilch an experienced calorimetrist who has recently joined our faculty. The calorimetry needs of the researchers in this application cannot be met under existing conditions. No calorimetric equipment exists at RWJMS. One laboratory at Rutgers University has microcalorimetry instrumentation. However, this instrumentation is not able to meet our needs. Some of the investigators in this application have been engaged in collaborations involving the use of microcalorimeters in other laboratories. However, progress in such collaborations has been limited by their long distance nature, highlighting the need for an on-site facility.