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The foundation awards grants each year to priority campus projects.
The funding is especially important because it enhances the infrastructure required to support nationally competitive research programs, said Paula Turpen, Ph.D., UNMC director of research resources.
“We are extremely grateful to the University of Nebraska Foundation for making these funds available for much-needed scientific instruments and equipment,” Dr. Turpen said. “The grants provide vital resources that will be used by many scientists to create new knowledge and, in the long term, life-changing therapies. The work enabled by these equipment grants will increase our prominence as a health sciences center.”
The funded items are listed below.
Circular Dichroism Spectrometer — $105,966
This equipment uses polarized light to provide information about the structure of macromolecules. It will allow researchers to gather information about their unique signature faster and more accurately than currently available methods while bringing new technology to campus. Research applications include cancer, nanomedicine, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and drug development.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Instrument — $94,530
This instrument helps researchers deduce the shape of proteins exactly as they look on the cell surface so new drugs and drug delivery systems can be designed in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, infectious diseases and neurological diseases. This technology is new to the University of Nebraska.
Preparative Ultracentrifuge — $85,046
This high-speed centrifuge spins up to 90,000 rotations per minute to separate small parts of cells or viruses and large molecules so they can be analyzed further using other technology. It will aid federally funded research in cancer, gene expression, cell biology, diabetes, drug delivery and nanomedicine.
Freezers for Monoclonal Antibody Core Facility — $24,606
These ultralow temperature freezers preserve cells and antibodies for long periods of time and benefit more than 50 percent of all research at UNMC involving isolation, purification and characterization of components of cells and tissues, including many federally funded research programs.