World’s Strongest Persistent Magnet Delivered to ETH Zürich

An ultra-high field spectrometer for solid state NMR, developed by Bruker was delivered in May to Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich in Switzerland. The installation and qualification of the Avance™ NEO 1.2 GHz NMR system is expected to take several months.

Professor Beat Meier at ETH stated: “We are thrilled to be the first institution to receive a 1.2 GHz NMR spectrometer with a unique configuration geared towards solid-state NMR. Our research is focused on developing solid-state NMR techniques to study materials and biological systems, as well as fundamental phenomena in physical chemistry. On the applications side, the 1.2 GHz spectrometer will be used to characterize the structure and dynamics of biological systems, including proteins fibrils, some of which are linked to diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. We will also study viruses, such as hepatitis B and C, or SARS-CoV-2, as well as motor proteins, and other large biomolecules.

Professor Alexander Barnes in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETHsame department added “Pushing structural biology into a truly endogenous cellular context will require access to the highest-end technology we can imagine and build. Extremely high magnetic fields will be a cornerstone of the advanced instrumentation we need to drive the field of magnetic resonance into an even more exciting and impactful future. Bruker’s 28 Tesla magnet will be a “high-altitude” base-camp here in Switzerland, at which we can develop and refine our ability to increase NMR sensitivity through the development of pulsed dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and ultra-high frequency (>200 kHz) magic angle spinning, using our new spherical rotors.”