A spectrometer in Norwich that reveals the atomic structure of biological materials is getting a long-overdue electronic upgrade. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy works like a powerful microscope for molecules, showing how atoms are arranged in complex substances. The University of East Anglia hosts the only multi-use high-field NMR instrument in the East of England, but its control electronics date from 2007 and are increasingly unreliable. This grant replaces those electronics and adds an automatic sample loader, bringing the instrument to modern standards. The upgraded facility will let researchers study three things: how enzymes transform molecules in living organisms in real time; the detailed structures of proteins, DNA, and marine natural products for drug development; and the architecture of natural and artificial biological materials. This includes tracking changes in food during digestion to design healthier products, examining how ageing and disease alter body tissues, and testing injectable drug delivery systems and biodegradable cellulose fabrics. Because the research spans fundamental molecular biology and applied materials science, the impact could be broad—from new pharmaceuticals to tailored foods to environmentally friendly textiles—but the immediate outcome is simply a working, state-of-the-art instrument for a region that otherwise lacks one.
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Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an indispensable technique in modern biological research, revealing the organisation of atoms in complex molecules in incredible detail. All materials in nature are arranged hierarchically. NMR spectroscopy at very high magnetic fields, enabled by this proposal, is vital to probe across multiple length scales, from atomic connectivity of molecules to the assembly of these molecules together into structures and macroscopic materials. The University of East Anglia (UEA) NMR facility hosts a regionally important instrument at high magnetic field (18.8 T) that enables interrogation of solid, semi-solid and liquid samples. This is the only such multi-use instrument in the East of England (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent and Cambridgeshire). However, the console (supporting electronics), installed in 2007, is increasingly obsolete and unreliable. This proposal will bring the spectrometer to state-of-the-art standards, enabling the latest generation of NMR experiments and greatly enhancing our capability to study solid biological samples (proteins, food materials, biological tissues via new solid-state capability), establishing HF-bioNMR-East facility. The efficiency of operation of the instrument will be further improved via provision of an automatic sample loader. These upgrades will ensure full advantage can be taken of the HF-bioNMR-East facility and provide critical support to the East of England as a globally leading region for research into biomaterials, tissues, foods and crops, digestion, and drug discovery. Supported by NMR experts at UEA and across the region, and underpinned by our strong collaborative networks, the HF-bioNMR-East will focus on three core themes, spanning from the molecular, complex biomolecule and biological tissue scales: Revealing the role and operation of enzymes at a molecular level via real time monitoring of live samples. All life is sustained via the continuous transformation of molecules. The high sensitivity and chemical resolution afforded by the upgraded instrument will enable us to map out how molecules are transformed and the individual enzymes involved by studying live organisms in real time, to help or hinder certain processes to promote health. Probing the structures of complex biomolecules, from proteins to enzymes, DNA and marine natural products. Nature produces molecules of incredible complexity, containing thousands of atoms, which interact with each other in very specific ways. The upgrade and automatic sample loader will enable rapid determination of molecular structures and their interactions with biological systems, accelerating the development of new drug molecules for a range of diseases. Probing the structures of natural and artificial biological materials. With experts at UEA, the Quadram Institute of Bioscience (QIB) and the John Innes Centre (JIC), we will reveal the structures of novel foodstuffs and describe changes that take place during digestion. This information will accelerate the development of foods with tailored nutritional properties. We will also study the impact of ageing and disease on biological tissues within the body. This information is vital for the development of new therapeutic avenues. Finally, we will test the function of injectable drug delivery systems and the structures of new fabrics derived from environmentally friendly and biodegradable cellulose.
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