North Carolina State University's Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) is awarded a grant to construct dedicated space to accommodate operation of a wide bore research Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy (MRI/S) magnet upgraded with advanced gradient coils and shims. This type of resource is currently unavailable in the U.S. so this will be the only large bore high field magnet dedicated to the study of marine organisms in the country. The coastal location of the wide bore instrument, supported by a cross-disciplinary team of marine scientists, MRI and biochemical engineers, biologists and biochemists, will make it possible to apply advanced MMR/IS methods to new areas of basic and applied marine biology research at higher trophic levels than previously feasible.
The new facility will enable the use of complex MRI/S techniques, including inter-leave 13C/31P CSI, to quantify normal biochemical function in living marine organisms and to study the effects of environmental stressors at a biochemical level to better understand impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on marine organisms. The large bore instrument will facilitate studies of metabolic flux, allowing evaluation of the impact of multiple stressors on physiological responses of marine organisms, and prediction of impacts at population, community and ecosystem levels. The capabilities of the new facility to investigate biochemical adaptations to extreme marine environments also offers an opportunity to identify novel physiological adaptations and key pathways in evolution in addition to elucidating the chemical basis of seafood quality and optimal utilization to contribute to the conservation of marine resources.
The new advanced magnetic resonance facility at CMAST will improve access to MRI/S tools for a diverse workforce of scientists, engineers, and graduate and undergraduate students focused on coastal and marine questions, leveraging the teaching and research resources of CMAST to enable broad cross disciplinary studies. The new facility will be easily accessible to scientists at four major nearby marine laboratories operated by NCSU, UNC, Duke University, and NOAA, and available for guest scientists domestically and internationally. Undergraduate science students will have opportunities to join research teams using the instrument through and the CMAST summer intern program, the Merial Summer Research Scholars Program, and programs supported by the NCSU Office of Undergraduate Research Programs through their university wide initiatives to mentor undergraduate men and women in science research. More information about CMAST can be found at: www.cmast.ncsu.edu.
