“We are confident that the adoption of this technology by these outstanding researchers will lead to very exciting new science in biological systems.”
Four novel 395 GHz Solid State DNP-NMR systems that utilize Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) in order to significantly enhance the sensitivity of solid state NMR experiments will soon be pushing forward key applications in research on biological solids, such as the important field of membrane proteins. Recently, solid state DNP-NMR has also been shown to be a unique tool in materials research, and even as a means to look at surfaces.
Based on the proven, unique 263 GHz Solid State DNP-NMR systems, this new 395 GHz DNP-NMR instrument augments the field strength choices for commercial, high-performance DNP-NMR equipment. The first 395 GHz system will be installed at Bruker’s US applications facility in Billerica, MA to be available for continued developments, applied research and customer demonstrations.
Early scientific successes in DNP-NMR have resulted in successful grant applications in several countries for its use in biological research. Prof. Vladimir Ladizhansky at the University of Guelph (Guelph, Ontario, Canada) will receive the first commercial 395 GHz DNP-NMR spectrometer. This will be followed by an installation for Prof. Christian Griesinger at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, Germany. A third system will go to Prof. Ann McDermott at The New York Structural Biology Centre. Dynamic Nuclear Polarization significantly enhances the sensitivity of solid state NMR by transferring polarization from the electron spins to the nuclear spins. The solid state DNP-NMR technology commercialized by Bruker finds its origins in the pioneering work of Professors Robert Griffin and Richard Temkin at MIT. The 395 GHz Solid State DNP-NMR system utilizes a novel 395 GHz gyrotron as the high power microwave source, Bruker’s Ascend 600 MHz 89 mm widebore superconducting magnet, and the ultra-fast Avance™ III electronics for the NMR detection.
Dr. Werner Maas, President of Bruker BioSpin, commented: “The unique research that is ongoing, enabled by the sensitivity breakthrough offered via the DNP enhancement, is creating a paradigm shift in solid state NMR. We are confident that the adoption of this technology by these outstanding researchers will lead to very exciting new science in biological systems.”