Wayne State University (WSU) proposes to acquire a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer to
characterize the molecular structure of biomedically relevant organic, organometallic, and polymeric molecules.
This critical technology will enable over eight faculty members to accelerate medical research involving
synthesis, inter- and intra-molecular interactions, and reaction mechanisms. New instrumentation is needed to
replace a 28-year old unshielded Varian 500 MHz NMR spectrometer, whose platform is now obsolete. The
modern capabilities of the proposed 500 MHz NMR spectrometer will greatly enhance the progress of
biomedically motivated research projects at WSU. This instrument will be used to characterize (1) ligands for
contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, (2) contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, (3)
hyperpolarization agents to probe cellular metabolism, (4) custom 13C-labeled compounds for biomedical
studies, (5) novel analogs of adenosine 5' triphosphate and inhibitors of histone deacetylase, (6) the
diastereoselectivity of glycosylations, (7) mechanistic pathways in allylic fluorination and nickel-promoted
glycosylation reactions relevant to imaging and diseases, (8) new chemical probes and agents to analyze
proteins relevant to pathological diseases, (9) small-molecule natural products, (10) photoactivated drug
candidates, and (11) the synthetic steps involved in making polycyclic alkaloids, cyclic polypeptides, and
glycoproteins for disease applications. The new instrument with a new capability to perform 1H{19F}, 19F{1H},
and 1H–19F correlation experiments will greatly enhance productivity toward the goals of several NIH-funded
projects and enable those projects to take on new directions. For example, the proposed instrument will
provide an active platform to enable the exchange of pulse sequences and experiments with collaborators to
advance the research at WSU beyond its current capabilities. The proposed spectrometer will reduce cryogen
and energy consumption and is expected to maximize the returns of many other investments of the NIH
through enabling new advancements in small-molecule drug discovery, imaging probe development, and
carbohydrate and peptide chemistry of the NIH-funded major users.