Acquisition of a gyrotron for DNP-NMR - funding is requested to obtain a gryotron system to be installed on an existing wide-bore 600 MHZ NMR spectrometer at the new york structural biology center…

The National Institutes of Health Office of the Director awarded $3,678,588 to The New York Structural Biology Center, Inc. on July 15, 2026, under the Research Infrastructure Programs (CFDA 93.351) to acquire a gyrotron system for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

The gyrotron will be installed on an existing wide-bore 600 megahertz NMR spectrometer at NYSBC in New York, New York, replacing an obsolete instrument installed in 2011–2013. The gyrotron generates the high-power microwaves required to drive polarization transfer from unpaired electrons to nearby nuclei, enabling sensitivity enhancement in solid-state NMR spectroscopy through DNP. The instrumentation supports the research objectives of NYSBC's NIH-funded RM1 Center for Macromolecular Dynamics by NMR Spectroscopy (COMD/NMR) and its major and minor user base across NYSBC's consortium of nine New York State research institutions.

The award carries a period of performance from July 15, 2026, through July 14, 2027. NYSBC, a tax-exempt nonprofit consortium, operates as a federal grant recipient providing NMR spectroscopy infrastructure and technical support to NIH-funded researchers.

Acquisition of a gyrotron for DNP-NMR - funding is requested to obtain a gryotron system to be installed on an existing wide-bore 600 MHZ NMR spectrometer at the new york structural biology center (NYSBC), a consortium of nine research institutions in new york state. The requested instrumentation is essential to the over-arching purpose of NYSBC and its NIH-funded RM-1 center for macromolecular dynamics by NMR spectroscopy (COMD/NMR) to support the specific aims of the NIH-funded research of the major and minor users of the requested instrumentation. The requested gyrotron replaces an existing instrument installed in 2011-2013 (one of the first commercial gyrotrons for use on 600 MHZ NMR spectrometers) that is obsolete and failing. An operable gyrotron is absolutely essential for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) solid-state NMR spectroscopy. DNP is a powerful approach for sensitivity enhancement in solid-state NMR spectroscopy by transferring polarization from unpaired electrons, which are usually mixed with the sample of interest, to nearby dipole-coupled nuclei. Polarization transfer is driven by irradiating at the electron spin transition with high-power microwaves generated by the gyrotron, typically conducted at cryogenic temperatures. Due to their larger gyromagnetic ratio, electrons have 660-fold larger polarization as compared with 1H spins at equilibrium, so dramatic hyperpolarization of nearby electron-coupled nuclei is possible. Unfortunately, no gyrotron, the situation looming at NYSBC, no DNP. The PI of the application, prof. ANN mcdermott is a world leader in the development and application of solid-state DNP-NMR, beginning as a postdoctoral scientist with prof. Robert griffin at MIT, where DNP-NMR spectroscopy was developed. Prof. Mcdermott is joined in this application by outstanding major and minor users, both through membership of NYSBC and nationally. Operation of the gyrotron and interfaced 600 MHZ NMR spectrometer and support of users is provided by a highly expert staff of scientists at NYSBC. DNP-NMR spectroscopy is increasingly central to biological solid-state NMR spectroscopy, allowing access to species present at very low concentrations in biological milieu. The research conducted using DNP-NMR spectroscopy ranges from fundamental studies of structure/dynamics/function of biomolecules, to elucidation of mechanisms of pathogenesis, to discovery of novel lead compounds, and to pharmaceutical applications and is impossible with replacement of the existing gyrotron by the requested instrumentation.