Circular Dichroism Spectrometer

Project Summary Texas State University requests a Jasco J-1500 CD spectrometer with accessories for automated sampling, automated titrations, fluorescence detection, and multi- and micro-sample holders for the study of protein and nucleic acid structure, dynamics, and ligand interactions. Currently, there is no such instrument available on campus, as an existing 35-year-old CD instrument that lacks much functionality has broken and cannot be repaired. The requested CD spectrometer is essential for the continuation of on-going research and training programs and capacity building in both research and in education as the university launches a new PhD program in Integrated Molecular and Biophysical Chemistry. CD is a fundamental tool to which students in this new program must have access and which has been extensively used by current faculty and students. Existing research training programs, including R25/T32 Bridges and T34 U-RISE programs, and educational programs including undergraduate biochemistry majors and minors will benefit from this new instrument, especially the automation accessories; the U-RISE program emphasizes laboratory automation training, and a liquid handling robot is already available to assist in arraying samples for undergraduate laboratory course experiments. The requested J-1500 and accessories support the long-term objective of the university to attain and maintain designation as a Research Intensive (R1) institution and to build a strong biomedical research infrastructure with robust external funding from the NIH. In addition to supporting biomedical research, the J- 1500 will be incorporated into undergraduate biochemistry laboratory courses for majors and minors. The proposed J-1500 will complement the growing list of university shared instrumentation acquired to advance biomedical research capabilities on campus, including recently obtained automated Microcal PEAQ-ITC system, BioTech Neo multi-function plate reader, and automated Agilent 8900 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS, as well as recently acquired instrumentation in individual faculty labs including a Typhoon biomolecular imager, Biosensing SPR system, and Waters SynaptXS ion mobility mass spectrometer. Oversight for training and maintenance of the J-1500 will be coordinated by the college-level Shared Research Organization (SRO), with additional support from a technical staff member from the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.