{"611297":{"#nid":"611297","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Trailblazing Molecular Jungles with New Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Consortium","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThey may look a little like space capsules, but nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers stay planted on the floor and use potent magnetism to explore opaque constellations of molecules.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThree Atlanta area universities jointly launched a nuclear magnetic resonance collaboration called the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/atlantanmr.com\/\u0022\u003EAtlanta NMR Consortium\u003C\/a\u003E to optimize the use of this technology that provides insights into relevant chemical samples containing so many compounds that they can otherwise easily elude adequate characterization. The consortium has been operating since July 2018.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECrab pee\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETake, for example, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/600559\u0022\u003Ecrab urine\u003C\/a\u003E. It\u0026rsquo;s packed with hundreds to thousands of varying metabolites, and researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology wanted to nail down one or two of them that triggered a widespread crab behavior. Without access to NMR they may not have found them at all even after an extensive search.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe spectrometer pulled the right two needles out of the haystack, so the researchers could test them on the crabs and confirm that they were initiating the behavior.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEmory University, Georgia State University and Georgia Tech already have NMR technology, but the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/atlantanmr.com\/\u0022\u003EAtlanta NMR Consortium\u003C\/a\u003E will enable them to fully exploit it while cost-effectively staying on top of upgrades.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;NMR continues to grow and develop because of technological advances,\u0026rdquo; said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/chemistry.emory.edu\/home\/people\/faculty\/lynn-david.html\u0022\u003EDavid Lynn\u003C\/a\u003E, a chemistry professor at Emory University.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat means buying new machines every so often, and one new NMR spectrometer can run into the millions; annual maintenance for one machine can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Thus, reducing costs and maximizing usage makes good sense.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedicine, geochemistry\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe human body, sea-side estuaries, and rock strata present huge collections of compounds. NMR takes inventory of complex samples from such sources via the nuclei of atoms in the molecules.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA nucleus has a spin, which makes it magnetic, and NMR spectrometry\u0026rsquo;s own powerful magnetism detects spins and pinpoints nuclei to feel out whole molecules. These can be large or small, from mineral compounds with three or four component atoms to protein polymers with tens of thousands of parts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearchers in medicine, biochemistry, ecology, geology, food science \u0026ndash; the possible list is exhaustive -- turn to NMR to untangle their particular molecular jungles. The consortium wants to leverage that diversity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;As we go in different directions, we will benefit from a cohesive community of people who know how to use NMR for a wide range of problems,\u0026rdquo; said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/people\/anant-paravastu\u0022\u003EAnant Paravastu\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The most important goal for us is the sharing of our expertise,\u0026rdquo; said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gsu.edu\/profile\/markus-germann\/\u0022\u003EMarkus Germann\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor of chemistry at Georgia State.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EConsortium members will benefit the most from the pooled NMR resources, but \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/nmr.cos.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Enon-partners can also book access\u003C\/a\u003E. Read more about the Atlanta NMR Consortium \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/607396\u0022\u003Ehere on Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s College of Sciences website\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Emory University, Georgia State University and Georgia Tech team up to optimize use of NMR spectrometry"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhat do crab urine, human lymph samples, and eons-old rock records\u0026nbsp;have in common? Hundreds, thousands or more kinds of molecules\u0026nbsp;make them up, so many\u0026nbsp;a postdoc or graduate researcher have pulled\u0026nbsp;their hair out\u0026nbsp;trying to isolate one or two compounds. NMR is so much faster and more\u0026nbsp;efficient, but it can be pricey, so Atlanta area universities have partnered up to optimize use and costs, and to offer use to outside researchers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Nature is chock full of chemical labyrinths that NMR helps navigate, but the technology is pricey, so teaming up to optimize use and share costs makes great sense."}],"uid":"31759","created_gmt":"2018-09-11 14:48:44","changed_gmt":"2018-09-11 16:24:38","author":"Ben Brumfield","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-09-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-09-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"600552":{"id":"600552","type":"image","title":"Julia Kubanek NMR with Serge Lavoie","body":null,"created":"1515442321","gmt_created":"2018-01-08 20:12:01","changed":"1515442321","gmt_changed":"2018-01-08 20:12:01","alt":"","file":{"fid":"228937","name":"KUBANEK DSC_4316.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/KUBANEK%20DSC_4316.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/KUBANEK%20DSC_4316.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":312167,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/KUBANEK%20DSC_4316.jpg?itok=TjH2xXsx"}},"581932":{"id":"581932","type":"image","title":"Leslie Gelbaum and Johannes Leisen during unpacking of new NMR instruments in July 2016. Photo by Julia Kubanek.","body":null,"created":"1475185129","gmt_created":"2016-09-29 21:38:49","changed":"1475185129","gmt_changed":"2016-09-29 21:38:49","alt":"Leslie Gelbaum and Johannes Leisen during unpacking of new NMR instruments in July 2016. Photo by Julia Kubanek.","file":{"fid":"221818","name":"LeslieGelbaum.JohannesLeisen.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/LeslieGelbaum.JohannesLeisen.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/LeslieGelbaum.JohannesLeisen.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":68714,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/LeslieGelbaum.JohannesLeisen.jpg?itok=VrNaaoE4"}},"611314":{"id":"611314","type":"image","title":"Bruker AVIII-400","body":null,"created":"1536683041","gmt_created":"2018-09-11 16:24:01","changed":"1536683041","gmt_changed":"2018-09-11 16:24:01","alt":"","file":{"fid":"232733","name":"bruker400_jaba.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bruker400_jaba.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/bruker400_jaba.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":90724,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/bruker400_jaba.jpg?itok=DOBM5JGK"}},"607397":{"id":"607397","type":"image","title":"Atlanta NMR Consortium","body":null,"created":"1530222652","gmt_created":"2018-06-28 21:50:52","changed":"1530222652","gmt_changed":"2018-06-28 21:50:52","alt":"","file":{"fid":"231687","name":"2018 Atlanta NMR Consortium banner.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2018%20Atlanta%20NMR%20Consortium%20banner.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2018%20Atlanta%20NMR%20Consortium%20banner.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":303096,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2018%20Atlanta%20NMR%20Consortium%20banner.jpg?itok=jnfbygkk"}}},"media_ids":["600552","581932","611314","607397"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2305","name":"Emory University"},{"id":"5063","name":"Georgia State University"},{"id":"178973","name":"nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers"},{"id":"176713","name":"metabolites"},{"id":"178974","name":"nucleus spin"},{"id":"178975","name":"proton spin"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"},{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"},{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInstitute Communications \/ Research News \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECollege of Sciences \/ communications\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia relations contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E Maureen Rouhi,\u0026nbsp;maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriters:\u003C\/strong\u003E Ben Brumfield \/ Maureen Rouhi\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["ben.brumfield@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}