October 3, 2025 — Leads & Copy — Bruker Corporation (Nasdaq: BRKR) announced today new orders for advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) instrumentation from the New York Structural Biology Center (NYSBC), the University of Delaware and Northwestern University. Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), these high-performance systems will enable leading research teams to pursue breakthroughs across a wide range of scientific research, drug discovery and disease biology disciplines.
The New York Structural Biology Center (NYSBC) ordered an NIH-funded Multifield NMR Relaxometry System. This advanced relaxometry system will be the first in North America and serves a consortium of nine research institutions in New York State as well as the national community through the NIH-funded Center on Macromolecular Dynamics by NMR spectroscopy. The system consists of a fast NMR sample shuttle system, a magnetic tunnel, and an electromagnetic field cycling coil (FCC), all mounted on a 700 MHz superconducting NMR magnet.
Arthur G. Palmer, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University and Director of NMR Spectroscopy at NYSBC, said that the novel NMR Relaxometry system is a technological breakthrough that enables for the very first time measurements of spin-lattice relaxation rate constants for 1H, 15N, 13C and other spins in biological macromolecules, including proteins and nucleic acids, over the range of magnetic fields from 100 µT to 16.4 T. He added that this instrumentation opens new time regimes for elucidating dynamics of these molecules and enables research ranging from understanding fundamental biological processes in normal and pathological states to discovery of potential new drugs for treatment of cancer and other diseases.
At the University of Delaware, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has ordered a 600 MHz Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) NMR spectrometer, funded by the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. This instrument will serve over 25 research groups at the University of Delaware and 12 collaborating institutions, supporting projects that range from understanding the molecular basis of disease to developing new materials and sustainable technologies. The new spectrometer’s enhanced sensitivity will enable investigations of complex biological and engineered systems, including intact cells, protein assemblies, polymers, pharmaceutical formulations, and catalysts.
Professor Tatyana Polenova, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, said that this new DNP NMR system will open up avenues of discovery for them not possible with their existing instrumentation. She added that it will impact multiple fields, from structural biology to materials science, and provide training opportunities for students and collaborators, and that they are grateful for the support of the NSF MRI program, which makes this leap in research capability possible.
At Northwestern University, the Integrated Molecular Structure Education and Research Center (IMSERC) recently ordered an 800 MHz NMR spectrometer. The instrument will benefit over 15 NIH-funded research groups and the broader Chicago research community, including the Chicago Biomedical Consortium. Key research applications include high-resolution biomolecular NMR for drug discovery, protein-ligand interactions, neurodegenerative disease research, regenerative medicine, and advanced materials development.
Dr. Joshua Ziarek, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said he expects their new 800 MHz NMR spectrometer to transform their ability to conduct high-resolution biomolecular studies and accelerate discoveries in drug development, neurodegenerative disease, and regenerative medicine. He added that by making state-of-the-art NMR accessible locally, they are positioning Northwestern as a regional hub for high-field NMR and supporting the next generation of scientific leaders.
The aggregate value of these three federally funded NMR orders is approximately $10 million, and they are expected to be delivered and installed next year in 2026.
Source: Bruker Corporation
