About Us

The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility was established in 2004. This Facility recognizes the important role Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) plays in conformational analysis, molecular structure determination, and drug design. The NMR instrumentation serves the high-resolution research needs for investigators from the Departments of Molecular and Cell Biology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy at the University of Connecticut. The Facility is part of the University-wide Partnership for Excellence in Structural Biology and maintains collaborative ties with its sister NMR Facility at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. The services and equipment of the UConn NMR Facility are also available to industry and other academic institutions.

From left to right: Co-Facility Heads Olga Vinogradova and Mark Peczuh; Facility Scientists Martha Morton and Vitaliy Gorbatyuk; Co-Facility Head Andrei Alexandrescu

The NMR Facility directly supports and impacts research programs in the following areas:

• Structure-function relationships
• Structures of membrane proteins
• Protein folding and design
• Nucleic acid structure and reactivity
• Molecular dynamics
• Nanomaterials
• Macromolecules
• Molecular recognition & drug binding
• Conformational analysis
• Pharmaceutical chemistry
• Chemical synthesis
• Analysis of Chemical Mixtures

Service Instrumentation

The Facility offers three instruments operating at field strengths of 300, 500, and 600 MHz. A Varian INOVA 600 fitted with a state-of-the-art cryogenic probe as well as a Bruker Avance 500* is used to characterize proteins, DNA, RNA, and molecules with resolution problems at lower field strengths. These field instruments are equipped for multinuclear, multi-dimensional experiments.

The Avance 300 serves the research and teaching needs of chemists and includes capabilities for automated NMR. The Avance 300 handles routine NMR spectroscopy and can check for new compound formation and purity as well as determine protein, along with DNA and RNA, secondary and tertiary structure and related functions.

Variable Temperature Exchange Spectroscopy in Organometallic Compounds

These instruments are used for a wide range of problems including checking compound purity, determining solution aggregation, following molecular diffusions, detecting weak binding events, detecting metabolites in mixtures, discovering drug-protein interactions, and following reaction kinetics.

*Bruker 500 is located in the Pharmacy/Biology Bldg., Rm. 056.

Inside View of the NMR Facility

Training and Education

Staff provide training and consultation in the use of instruments located at the Facility. These services are free, but prospective users must schedule an appointment prior to a formal consulting session. The Facility can usually provide training on the Bruker Avance 500 and 300 within 48 hours of an initial request. For the Bruker Avance 500 and Varian INOVA 600 a 24-hour, hands-on training session is required prior to instrument use for protein NMR.

Cost for Services

Current pricing can be found on the Budget Certification Form on the NMR Facility webpage of the Biotechnology/Bioservices website.

For specific prices contact Dr. Martha Morton at (860) 486-4069 or Martha.morton@uconn.edu.

All rates are subject to periodic review and change.