Research Infrastructure: MRI: Acquisition of BioLayer Interferometer Octet RH16 for Label-Free Detection of Biomolecular Interactions

An award is made to University of Delaware to acquire an Octet RH16 that allows label-free detection of biomolecular interactions central to modern biochemical, biophysical, materials and biopharmaceutical researches. As protein interactions with a variety of biomolecules including other proteins, nucleotides, carbohydrates and small molecules are fundamental for understanding biological processes, graduate and undergraduate trainees will use the instrument frequently and gain hands-on experience of using the instrument.

The acquisition of an Octet RH16 will be a critical resource for Sartorius BioLayer Interferometer measurement and significantly impact the research and training infrastructure at the University of Delaware, Delaware State University and schools in the Delaware Valley, including Morgan State University, Haverford College, Villanova University, and Rowan University. The Octet RH16 will be used broadly in research and undergraduate training programs across multiple campuses.

We plan to actively integrate the instrument into the research and teaching environments to increase student involvement in their own learning at both University of Delaware and the participating primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs). The research and training opportunities provided by this Octet RH16 to a large number of underrepresented minority and female students are expect to positively impact their future careers in STEM fields.

The proposed Octet RH16 will support the research of 20 groups at participating universities and colleges, reaching across multiple departments and colleges (chemistry and biochemistry, biological sciences, materials sciences, and chemical and biomolecular engineering). The groups involved in this research represent a wide range of research areas, including biochemistry, biophysics, chemical biology, molecular biology, materials science and biomolecular engineering.

The access to an Octet RH16 will enable researchers at UD and surrounding PUIs and HBCUs in tackling cutting-edge and interdisciplinary research problems, facilitating interactions among researchers and forging new collaborations.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.