A group of NIH supported investigators requests funds to purchase an 800 MHz NMR console, CryoProbe, and magnet cooling control system (BMPC). This equipment will be used to significantly upgrade an existing shared 800 MHz NMR spectrometer that is housed in the UCLA-DOE NMR Core Facility. The existing 13 year old Bruker 800 MHz NMR spectrometer is heavily used by a number of research groups at UCLA, but is unreliable and outdated. Specifically, we request funds to purchase a Bruker Avance Neo console and BMPC II system that will be used to replace an Avance I console and a BMPC I system that were installed in 2004. Funds are also requested to purchase a Triple Resonance CryoProbe which will replace an older model TCI CryoProbe which was also installed in 2004. Installation of a new console, BMPC, and CryoProbe will dramatically increase the utility of the 800 MHz NMR spectrometer. The refurbished instrument will have improved sensitivity, functionality, and reliability. The refurbished instrument will have up to 2-fold higher sensitivity due to the newer CryoProbe and improved console electronics. The spectrometer will also have greatly expanded capability due to the newer hardware and software, allowing it to perform newer experiments that are not possible using the older instrument. It will also be possible to operate the spectrometer using the latest software, which will provide many advantages. The CryoProbe will have expanded capabilities as it will have a cold 15N preamplifier and will be tunable to 19F, which is an extremely useful probe for biological applications. The new instrumentation is expected to be significantly more reliable than the existing NMR spectrometer. The console of the existing instrument suffers from frequent malfunctions, most of which are intermittent and difficult to pinpoint and diagnose. The BMPC, which cools the magnet to 2 Kelvin via a pumping system and which is critical to keeping the magnet at field, is at risk because replacement parts are becoming difficult to obtain. The current CryoProbe is well past the age where the manufacturer guarantees support. The new equipment will be managed by an experienced Ph.D.- level staff scientist, who has successfully maintained and operated the NMR instrumentation at the facility for the past 19 years.
A shared Bruker 800 MHz NMR spectrometer installed in January, 2004 in the UCLA-DOE NMR core facility will be upgraded by replacing the console, CryoProbe, and magnet cooling control system (BMPC). The NMR spectrometer is heavily used for studies of biologically important macromolecules and is the highest field and the only 800 MHz NMR spectrometer at UCLA, but it is now near the end of its useful lifetime. A renovated instrument will have significantly improved experimental capabilities, sensitivity, and reliability, ensuring that it will continue to be a vital resource to UCLA NIH funded investigators performing important biomedical research.
