The new BioEmPiRe Centre for Structural Biological EPR Spectroscopy will be launched in 2025 within the School of Biological Sciences (Michael Smith building), Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, at The University of Manchester.
BioEmPiRe is an initiative comprised of world-class bio-scientists and is specifically designed to aid in addressing challenging and fundamental biological questions using state-of-the-art EPR spectroscopy. Its mission is to understand the rules of life, contribute to the design of transformative technologies, provide integrated understanding of health and provide an infrastructure for modern bioscience. Primarily, bio-systems to be studied are divided into three branches: a) integral membrane proteins; b) membrane-associated proteins; c) cytoplasmic protein complexes.
The new BioEmPiRe Centre will be led by Dr Christos Pliotas and is funded by the BBSRC. BioEmPiRe will develop synergies with other EPR groups in Manchester (EPR National facilities) and spearheaded by EPR will provide an integrative structural biology platform to respond to the bio-community’s increasing needs. The centre will be equipped with a new high power (300W) Bruker pulsed Q-band EPR spectrometer, with Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) and integrated cryogen-free cooling system from Cryogenics, to enable the assessment of protein conformation and dynamics by PELDOR. The new Centre will be also equipped with a Bruker X-band cwEPR spectrometer with bio-temperature controller able to operate at liquid-N2 temperatures. These instruments will be complemented by a new state-of-the-art wet-biological laboratory for the preparation of biological samples for structural characterisation by EPR spectroscopy and will be located adjacent to the new BioEmPiRe centre.
