News Archive

The University of Florida campus is occasionally closed for holidays.  If you have a UFID card and need to obtain access to the MBI building after normal business hours, on weekends, or during any campus closure, please visit the following link to submit your request:  https://mbi.ufl.edu/new-mbi-access-form/.

MAGLAB SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT – MAy 2023

Anionic Phospholipids Control Mechanisms of GPCR-G Protein Recognition

Drugs, hormones, and neurotransmitters stimulate the formation of signaling complexes in cells. The formation of these protein complexes is facilitated by the presence of specific endogenous lipid molecules. The right figure shows such complexes can form in non-ideal conditions but are not favored. NMR spectroscopy can observe different three-dimensional conformations of protein receptors and determine how drugs and lipids impact these conformations that correlate with changes in receptor function. State-of-the-art NMR instrumentation at the MagLab’s AMRIS Facility is uniquely suited for precise measurements of lipid compositions and simultaneous investigation of receptor protein conformations because it enables the visualization of multiple different nuclei of importance to these studies, in particular 1H, 19F, and 31P.

With NMR spectroscopy, we can observe different three-dimensional conformations of the receptor and determine how drugs and lipids impact the populations of these states, correlating with changes in receptor function.
facility open house event scheduled June 15, 3-5pm

MagLab is trending!

NSF NewsLive: The Highest Powered Magnet Lab in the World https://researchinfrastructure.forumbee.com/t/q6havn7/the-highest-powered-magnet-lab-in-the-world

NSF News: The Highest Powered Magnet Lab in the World https://researchinfrastructure.forumbee.com/t/q6havn7/the-highest-powered-magnet-lab-in-the-world

Veritasium on YouTube: World’s Strongest Magnet!

Veritasium Feature: World’s Strongest magnet! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0amdIcZt5I

NSF SITE FEATURE – FEB/MAR 2023

MagLab makes magic with magnets

The National MagLab was featured on the front page of the National Science Foundation website in February 2023, in recognition of how NSF-funding assists with scientific and economic development in Florida. This article provides access to content generated at the Tallahassee headquarters, so you can "Meet the Magnets" used for scientific research.

NSF’s National High Magnetic Field Laboratory headquarters building, located on Florida State University's Southwest Campus.
Credit: Stephen Bilenky/National MagLab

MAGLAB SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT – DEC 2022

Atomic-Level Insights into How Polymers Improve Protein Therapeutics

Using NMR, researchers determined a molecular model of a protein-polymer conjugate, providing new insights into how polymers can be used to make protein drugs more robust. To observe the protein-polymer conjugates, the research team needed the high magnetic fields and sensitivity provided by 800 MHz NMR instrument with cryogenic probe at the MagLab’s AMRIS Facility.

Thermal stability of proteins may be improved through use of polymer conjugates, as shown here with colored regions of protein-polymer interaction sites, making protein therapeutics more useful for treating cancers and inflammatory diseases.

Tallahassee, FL, November 4-6, 2022

50th Southeastern Magnetic Resonance Conference

MRI scans taken after a stroke show brightness around the injury, the origins of which have been a long-standing and vexatious mystery for scientists. This work suggests these MRI signal changes result from fluid changes in glial cell volumes, results that could advance our ability to distinguish reversible and irreversible stroke events or provide a better understanding for other disorders such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and mood or sleep disorders.

Hosted by the National MagLab & FSU
A collage of photos depicting the unloading of multiple crates from a semi trailer; components of the 7T MRI system
September 27, 2022 – Just one breezy day before the UF campus closed for Hurricane Ian, riggers unloaded a tractor trailer filled with large, heavy crates containing the components for our new 7T MRI system. We are still renovating the building space that will become home to this new system, but we hope to have it ready for users by the start of 2023.

MAGLAB SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT – SEPT 2022

Mystery of the Origin of MRI Signal in Stroke Solved

MRI scans taken after a stroke show brightness around the injury, the origins of which have been a long-standing and vexatious mystery for scientists. This work suggests these MRI signal changes result from fluid changes in glial cell volumes, results that could advance our ability to distinguish reversible and irreversible stroke events or provide a better understanding for other disorders such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and mood or sleep disorders.

MRI of ischemic stroke

MAGLAB SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT – May 2022

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide from Peat Wetland Ecosystems

The organic composition of soils in peat wetlands determines if carbon is available to be aerobically converted into carbon dioxide gas as a result of either a warming climate or drainage of wetlands for development. This research demonstrates an explicit link between the oxygen-alkyl groups (i.e., carbohydrates) in the peat and the amount of CO2 production. The solid-state NMR spectrometer used in this research employs a MagLab-designed probe that produces uniform magnetic fields and minimal sample heating, allowing intact soil samples to be analyzed with no further chemical processing or alteration of their sample profile. The first-author student on this paper received an NSF Graduate Fellowship to travel the world to work with Smithsonian and La Trobe scientists to collect the peat samples.

This research was conducted in the 500 MHz/54 mm Bruker Avance III analyzed by magic angle spinning (MAS) 13C NMR spectroscopy at the MagLab's AMRIS Facility located at the University of Florida.

UF HEALTH RESEARCH – DEC 2021

AMRIS 3T MRI systems support UF AI research on cognitive aging

By applying computer vector machine modeling to 45-minute MRI brain scans, UF researchers reported that the algorithm could predict the progression from amnestic mild cognitive impairment to dementia with over 94% accuracy. Furthermore, they reported that the algorithm produced 92.7% accuracy when using a shorter, 10-minute MRI brain scan. These findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, click Learn More to navigate to the publication.

Joseph Gullett, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in UF’s College of Public Health and Health professions, led a study demonstrating AI’s potential to accurately predict dementia development in 55 participants.
Originally published for UF Health on Dec 6, 2021, by Michelle Koidin Jaffee and Todd Taylor: https://m.ufhealth.org/news/2021/uf-study-shows-artificial-intelligence-s-potential-predict-dementia

UF HEALTH RESEARCH – OCT 2021

AMRIS joins national HBCD study

The University of Florida is one of a network of institutions selected to implement the National Institutes of Health’s HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study or HBCD, a longitudinal, multidisciplinary effort to study brain development and behavioral health in young children. The HBCD study, which involves 25 institutions across the country, will enroll thousands of pregnant women and their babies and follow them through early childhood to identify trajectories of brain development. A portion of this study will be performed on the 3T MRI systems at the MagLab's AMRIS Facility inside the McKnight Brain Institute.

https://heal.nih.gov/research/infants-and-children/healthy-brain

MagLab Science Highlight – SEPT 2021

Restoration of breathing after drug overdose and spinal cord injuries

An insect's ability to survive anaerobic conditions (without oxygen) during winter pupation occurs through periodic cycling of aerobic respiration pathways needed to recharge energy and clear waste. The cellular mechanisms at play during these brief near-arousal periods can provide clues to help improve the success in storage and transplant of human organs. This research was conducted in the 14.1T equipped with a HTS CryoProbe and Agilent Console at the MagLab's AMRIS Facility located at the University of Florida.

Impulse stimulated breathing

MagLab Science Highlight – MAY 2021

HTS NMR Probe Tracks Metabolism Cycles During Insect Dormancy

An insect's ability to survive anaerobic conditions (without oxygen) during winter pupation occurs through periodic cycling of aerobic respiration pathways needed to recharge energy and clear waste. The cellular mechanisms at play during these brief near-arousal periods can provide clues to help improve the success in storage and transplant of human organs. This research was conducted in the 14.1T equipped with a HTS CryoProbe and Agilent Console at the MagLab's AMRIS Facility located at the University of Florida.

fleshflydev

STILL ONLINE: VIRTUAL EVENTS, ONLINE DEMOS, AND TOURS!

MagLab Open House 2021

This event is no longer live/interactive, but videos are still online for you to enjoy! Join the science fun through special MagLab video demonstrations, all access video tours, online games, and activities for audiences of all ages.

MagLab Open House 2021

MAGLAB SCIENCE HIGHLIGHT – NOV 2020

Using Magnetic Resonance to Probe Lipid Synthesis in Response to Ketogenic Diet

Congratulations to our AMRIS-affiliated University of Florida faculty and students Marc McLeod, Rohit Mahar, Clayton E. Mathews, and Matthew E. Merritt, whose research on the effects of "ketogenic" diets on liver metabolism was recently selected as one of the National MagLab's Science Highlights. We have posted a description of the research, intended for a general audience, on the MagLab website. The page also includes more technical descriptions of the research and a link to the original publication. Please feel free to share this feature with your networks, and congratulations on this featured project from UF's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. We are pleased to provide access to the advanced instrumentation needed for your research!

Diet effects on liver metabolism