NMR Knowledge Base / Ezine
Be still, enzyme: NMR points to motion control
Date: Apr 15, 2011
Author: David Bradley
Millisecond oscillations can massively impact how an enzyme functions, a new NMR spectroscopic study in the US reveals. The study suggests that finding ways to control such movements, without altering the overall structure of an enzyme might be useful in disabling an enzyme. Proof of principle was demonstrated with an enzyme from Escherichia coli.
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Designer drug identified: NMR, IR and MS reveal structure
Date: Apr 1, 2011
Author: David Bradley
A new "designer" drug related to "ecstasy" has recently been found on sale as bath salts in the USA, although it was first identified on the black market in Germany in 2009. A new study discusses how infrared and NMR spectroscopy were used in conjunction with mass spectrometry to identify the compound as 3,4 methylenedioxypyrrolidinobutyrophenone.
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Bloody camouflage: NMR analysis assists universal tranfusion
Date: Mar 15, 2011
Author: David Bradley
Coating blood cells with an immunological camouflage could one day lead to a new type of blood product that avoids the problem of A,B,O,± blood typing currently required for transfusion patients. NMR spectroscopy underpins the analytical work.
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Prionic attack: NMR characterises small molecule inhibitors
Date: Mar 1, 2011
Author: David Bradley
US researchers have identified a group of compounds with the help of NMR spectroscopy, the 2-aminothiazoles, as possible non-toxic lead compounds in the search for a pharmaceutical to treat prion diseases, such as CJD.
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Small molecules against Ebola: NMR reveals drug leads
Date: Feb 15, 2011
Author: David Bradley
There is neither vaccine nor cure for the Ebola virus, which causes fatal haemorrhagic fever in humans. However, a new NMR spectroscopic study by US researchers scientists has led to the discovery of a family of small molecules that apparently bind to the outer protein coat of the virus and halt its entry into human cells, so offering the possibility of an antiviral medication against the disease.
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First fruit: NMR characterisation of grape berries
Date: Feb 1, 2011
Author: David Bradley
The position in which a grape in a bunch matures on the vine seems to influence the production of different metabolites more than the specific genetic clone from which the vine is raised, according to new NMR data.
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Herpes 3D: NMR reveals viral protein hijacking
Date: Jan 15, 2011
Author: David Bradley
UK scientists have used NMR for the first time to develop a 3D picture of a herpes virus protein interacting with a key part of the human cellular machinery. The study improves our understanding of how the virus hijacks human cells and could eventually lead to new targets for drug therapy.
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NMR for celiac disease: metabonomic insights
Date: Jan 5, 2011
Author: David Bradley
Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder caused by a permanent sensitivity to gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. A nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic approach to the disease could allow accurate and early diagnosis using metabonomics.
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Optical alternative: light-based technique to complement NMR
Date: Dec 15, 2010
Author: David Bradley
New research published in The Journal of Chemical Physics introduces an alternative path to the nuclear information delivered by NMR by using light to observe the electrons in their orbitals around the nuclei and infer information about those nuclei indirectly.
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Not a drop: buckyball bottles up single water molecule
Date: Dec 1, 2010
Author: David Bradley
Much of modern chemistry focuses on the incarceration of small molecules in cages and crypts. Now, a team writing in Angewandte Chemie describe how they have added a single water molecule to the world's smallest "bottle", a fullerene. NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction reveal the details.
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