400 MHz NMR Spectrometer
openOD - NIH Office of the Director
Project Description
We request $450,305 to acquire a JEOL 400 MHz NMR spectrometer with a shielded magnet, 2-channel
console, ROYAL HFX probe and autosampler to support cutting-edge synthetic chemical biology research at
the University of Kansas (KU). The requested instrument will serve 15 highly active research groups, including
three NIH-funded major users (Bloom, Farrell, and Sathyamoorthi) and 12 additional investigators, most of
whom are also NIH-funded. This 400 MHz NMR will be housed in a long-established university-wide core
facility with a strong track record for cost recovery, user training and instrument upkeep. The requested
instrument will be integrated into the recently installed helium-recovery system, which will recycle over 85% of
the liquid helium consumed during normal operation of the superconducting magnet and the gaseous helium
expelled during periodic refills of the magnet dewar, significantly reducing the long-term operating costs and
environmental impact. Based on current and projected needs, the spectrometer is expected to operate at 80%
capacity. NIH-funded researchers will account for over 65% of total usage, with the three major users
comprising more than half. This high utilization underscores the urgent need for a modern, reliable platform to
support KU’s biomedical research. Currently, investigators rely on two aging 400 MHz NMR spectrometers,
both over 20 years old, with obsolete components and growing maintenance challenges. Downtime and
limited capabilities impose major delays and opportunity costs on research, despite the efforts of the highly
skilled staff. Continued dependence on these outdated systems jeopardizes ongoing and future NIH-
supported research. This proposal is driven by the critical need to sustain and advance KU’s synthetic
chemical biology efforts. The new NMR spectrometer will directly support transformative research, including in
a) the development of next-generation peptide therapeutics with enhanced stability, cell permeability, and
reduced metabolic degradation; b) the design of novel chemical probes to identify neglected carbohydrate-
binding proteins and better understand their roles in biology and disease; and c) the improvement of synthetic
methodology for the preparation of novel anti-infective natural products to reduce human morbidity and
mortality. The proposed instrument will be a vital asset to KU’s biomedical research enterprise, accelerating
discovery and enhancing NIH-funded investigations in health-related chemical biology.
Up to $450K
health research