The establishment of a very high field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) facility is proposed. The facility would provide for sharing of both equipment and ideas among an initial group of researchers from 8 institutions primarily from the Southeast region of the county. NMR provides a means of investigating the structure and dynamics of biologically important macromolecules without the necessity of crystallization. This is important for the investigation of biomolecule function in an environment as close as possible to physiological conditions. Such investigations can be important stepping-stones to the understanding of disease processes a d the design of agents that can combat disease. Application of NMR has, however, been restricted to smaller systems by the lack of resolution, sensitivity, and appropriate measurable parameters. Higher fields, and new experiments that exploit these fields, will greatly extend applicability of NMR based research. ? ? The centerpiece of the proposed facility will be an instrument that operates with a magnetic field of at least 21.1T. This corresponds to a proton NMR Operating frequency equal to, or greater than 900 MHz. The instrument will be purchased and housed centrally at the University of Georgia where it will be maintained by a skill d staff. The productivity of the instrument will be enhanced by computational and Internet communication resources that allow remote use and broad sharing of resulting developments. Communication is organized around an initial five areas of research focus that include, method development, dynamics, nucleic acids, membrane proteins, and large assemblies. Target areas for future expansion include carbohydrates and metallo-proteins.
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