This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Shared Instrumentation Grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the grant, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The Kansas State University High Resolution NMR Facility, which has served more than 23 separate NIH funded research projects and several other life science research groups (total 40), requests funding to upgrade an existing Varian UNITYplus 500 MHz instrument (purchased in 1993) with a UNITYINOVA digital console and to purchase an additional high sensitivity 'state-of-the-art' 5 mm triple resonance inverse detection cryo-probe. This acquisition will allow the research programs of nine major users and many other NIH supported investigators to take advantage of revolutionary cryogenic probe technology that is becoming essential for studying solution structure and dynamics of large biomolecules and other compounds that are currently inaccessible due to inherent weakness of NMR signal, short-lived stability, limited solubility, or low sample availability. The cryo-probe system will allow NMR data to be acquired with a sensitivity that is 3 to 4- fold greater than our current probe. The UNITYINOVA digital console is required for the proper installation and function of the cryo-probe assembly. The console upgrade request is also justified by a growing number of deficiencies of our current NMR system. Among these are the following: 1) outdated NMR acquisition computer module leading to difficulty in data acquisition, 2) radio-frequency phase instability resulting in inadequate water suppression and diminished performance in multi-dimensional experiments, 3) lock channel signal instability during long hours experiments, 4) extensive down time due to ever-increasing host to acquisition board linking failure, and 5) extreme difficulty in implementing routine software revision and computer hardware improvements due to the age of the console. The funding of this project will provide a shared instrumentation necessary to complete more than ten on going NIH supported research programs at KSU and to elevate inter-institutional bio-medical research collaborations between KSU NMR facility and nearby institutions.
