Tech Valley News
RPI Unveils Powerful Biotech Tool
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute unveiled its newest research tool – a powerful nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The $2 million machine will examine the molecules that make up proteins and other organic material to help researchers better understand the proteins that cause diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The NMR spectrometer – nearly two stories high and weighing 10 tons – will be housed at RPI’s Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, part of the GenNYsis program. It is one of just 12 of its size in the world and will be available to researchers from other academic institutions and to private industry.
The machine contains a superconducting magnet that creates strong magnetic fields to provide detailed data on organic molecules. The data points are then used in computer modeling to create three-dimensional images of proteins and other substances.
"This state-of-the-art equipment is already attracting new researchers to Rensselaer who are working at the forefront of discovery in basic and applied health research," Sheila Jackson, RPI’s president, told The Record. "It's a long road from fundamental discovery to drug development and therapy.”
Robert Palazzo, center director, told the Times Union that he expects the device will help attract and retain industry in Tech Valley.
The State of New York has invested $22.5 million in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.
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