Leading European Experts in Magnetic Resonance for Animals

The UAB SeRMN is enlarging its facilities to make room for two new machines for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).

The devices are a Bruker BIOSPEC 70/30 spectrometer with a horizontal magnet, making it possible to carry out magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging in vivo on animals, and a NMR Bruker AvanceII 600 spectrometer combined with a high-resolution liquid chromatography team and a mass spectrometer.

Both pieces of equipment will have various applications, especially in the field of biomedical research. In total, the UAB has invested €3 million in the equipment purchased and the work carried out to make room for it.

The BIOSPEC 70/30 spectrometer and the AvanceII 600 LC-NMR/MS cost approximately €1.5 million and €900,000 respectively, and were funded between the European Regional Development Fund, the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, the Catalan Government and the University itself.

The facilities needed to be enlarged to accommodate the new equipment, and this was funded entirely by the UAB. The work is expected to be completed by May 2007, with the equipment being installed in June.

The BIOSPEC 70/30 is very similar to magnetic resonance equipment used for clinical purposes, and makes it possible to carry out magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy on small animals. This will be the first equipment of its kind in Catalonia and the third in Spain

The AvanceII 600 LC-NMR/MS is aimed more towards basic research. It will be the first equipment in Spain to combine integrally magnetic resonance techniques, liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.