A group of researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, are requesting a state-of-the-art circular dichroism spectropolarimeter (CD) for biomolecular studies. CD is a key biophysical tool for the characterization of secondary and tertiary structure of biomolecules, and can provide insights into structure, as well as folding and binding thermodynamics. There is currently no functioning CD instrumentation on the Boulder campus, and this lack of resources has impeded progress in several NIH-funded research programs. These programs span a wide range of biomolecular science, including the study of therapeutic proteins and their aggregation properties (Carpenter, Randolph), membrane proteins and peptide therapeutics targeting neurons (Falke, Yin), bacterial pathogenesis (Sousa), telomere biology (Wuttke), the design of metal sensors for in vivo imaging (Palmer) and RNA bioscience (Batey and Pardi). Furthermore, the University of Colorado at Boulder has well-established programs in Molecular Biophysics and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, and we anticipate the user base will grow once the instrumentation is established. A modern CD instrument is urgently needed at CU-Boulder, and acquisition of this equipment will have a broad impact across a wide range of biomedical research programs.
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