Investigation of aggregation-prone and phase-separating systems using Pressure-Jump NMR

The pioneering work of the Bax/Anfinrud groups saw the development of a pressure-jump system that could reliably, and reversibly, change the pressure of an NMR sample by 2.5 kbar in under 5 milliseconds.

The development of the system is currently at a point where tens of thousands of pressure jumps can be performed before maintenence is required, which has opened the door to acquisition of multidimensional NMR datasets, with convolution of pressure and time as a readily-manipulable dimension. This cutting-edge technique is only currently available to a couple of NMR groups in the USA.

This project seeks to establish the novel field of pressure-jump NMR within Europe.

Initially there will be an implementation phase, followed by further development of pressure-jump NMR methods to investigate aggregation prone and phase separating biological systems.

Pressure-jump NMR allows for direct observation of: protein folding pathways, protein aggregation kinetics, phase separation behavior, and both structural and dynamic information about proteins (or small molecules) in a phase-separated or aggretated state and presents the opportunity to re-define the role of NMR in structural biology and biophysical chemistry.