Small Molecule X-Ray Diffraction Instrumentation

University Of Illinois At Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

A state-of-the-art CCD (charge-coupled-device) area detector with sealed-tube x-ray generator and low-temperature cooling device will be purchased and used too collect x-ray diffraction data from single crystals with Mo and Cu radiation. This will be will be used to establish a multi- user, small molecule, single-crystal, x-ray diffraction facility in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). This facility will principally support research in at least 9 major laboratories including two NIH program grants and one NIH center. Approximately 80% of the instrument will be utilized by NIH-funded researchers, and the remaining time will be used by other researchers on the UIC campus and the Chicago area. In addition, the instrument hardware, software, and computing resources will be used to augment courses in Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacognosy, Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. This instrument will replace the slow, aging, and somewhat unreliable CAD4 diffractometer that is housed on the eat campus near Chemistry. To date, most of the structures solved for UIC faculty research projects have occurred through off-campus collaborations or through off-campus data collection, when available. This instrument will be located on the west medical campus immediately adjacent to the UIC/RRC MacroMolecular Diffraction Facility; this increases the accessibility of the instrument for both research and training. Access to the instrument by new users on and off campus will be assured through the administrative oversight of an advisory committee and the Research Resources Center (RRC). The RRC is a centralized campus center and instrumentation facility that has been in operation for over fifty years. The RRC will handle maintenance of the instrumentation in collaboration with the director of the facility and the advisory committee. Dr. Santarsiero has been hired as the director of the new facility. His primary function is to oversee operations and maintenance of this service facility through contact with RRC, the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, the advisory committee and the research faculty. The mechanism of sample submission will be established by the advisory committee and will include hands-on use by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. As outlined, this facility will substantially benefit several research programs and NIH program grants and centers. The much increased need for such instrumentation reflects the growing importance of structural chemistry and structural biology as a component in research and teaching at the University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as several new initiatives in the areas of structural biology and chemistry at UIC.