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.
