Combination CD-Fluorescence Polarization Spectrophotometer for the Columbia Precision Biomolecular Characterization Facility

PROJECT SUMMARY In this application, we propose to acquire a Chirascan V100 combination circular dichroism spectropolarimeter and fluorescence spectrophotometer from Applied Photophysics that will be placed in a newly created shared instrumentation facility such that it will be available for use by the entire biomedical research community at Columbia University, thereby impacting the large number of current and future NIH-funded research programs at Columbia University. The Chirascan V100 instrument will be installed, housed, operated, and maintained in the Precision Biomolecular Characterization Facility (PBCF), a newly created, university-supported, staffed, shared instrumentation facility that will provide efficient, low-cost access for all Columbia University researchers. This state-of-the-art instrument will be equipped with fluorescence polarization anisotropy capabilities, Peltier thermal stage, auto-titrator, and stopped flow mixer to enable the broadest range of research to be accommodated. The only comparable instruments currently at Columbia University and neighboring institutions are all located in the laboratories of individual researchers, not shared instrumentation facilities. Consequently, these instruments are not available for routine use by the broader Columbia University research community. Moreover, all of these instruments either have limited capabilities, are approaching the end of their useable lifetimes, and/or have reached the end of their useable lifetimes. Successfully establishing this instrument in the PBCF is expected to advance the aims of more than 45 NIH-funded research programs spanning 10 departments and 3 schools at Columbia University that represent an extremely broad range of biochemical, biophysical, and biomedical research programs.