bio-betaNMR: A new tool to understand biology at the molecular level
Although bNMR has been applied to nuclear physics and condensed matter for the past five decades, its application to biology, wet chemistry, and medicine are still fairy uncommon, mainly due to technical difficulties of maintaining liquid solutions under vacuum. Over the past three years, TRIUMF has not only pioneered technology that overcomes that barrier, but also carried out first experiments on liquids and biological samples, moving from proof-of-feasibility to first applications. In April 2017, we recorded the first-ever bNMR signals originating from oxygen and nitrogen coordinating Mg2+ in typical Mg complexes, illustrating that bNMR can discriminate between different structures. In July 2018, we carried out first bNMR measurements on Mg coordination to ATP. This achievement marks a milestone in applications of bNMR into biologically-relevant samples and opens new opportunities in the fields of wet chemistry, biology, and medicine.