Center for Drug Design provides state-of-the-art tools of research for its researchers. These include 600 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) facility, Agilent Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS), several high-performance liquid chromatographs (HPLC), High-Resolution Imaging Microscope, personal flash chromatography Combiflash systems etc. Recent expansion in CDD includes the development of in-house pharmacokinetic laboratory.
Facilities
Pharmacokinetics Laboratory
The mission of the Pharmacokinetics (PK) lab is to provide key support for drug development within the Center for Drug Design. The PK lab provides in vitro ADME and in vivo PK data to Principle Investigators within the CDD in order to generate preclinical lead candidates. Compounds that show potent enzymatic and whole-cell activity are first tested in the PK lab using in vitro techniques to assess metabolic and plasma stability, plasma protein binding, aqueous solubility, and permeability. Compounds showing favorable profiles from these in vitro assays are then evaluated in animals to measure in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters such as CMax, TMax, AUC, half life, and bioavailability.
The PK lab is equipped with a state-of-the-art LC-MS instrument (Agilent 1260 HPLC and AB Sciex QTrap 5500 MS) that is used to detect and quantitate small molecules in plasma or tissue homogenates
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Instrument: Varian 600 MHz
The 600 MHz CDD NMR is located in Phillips Wangensteen Building on University of Minnesota East Bank campus in the Center for Drug Design. The 600 MHz spectrometer is equipped with a new Varian NMR System console. The spectrometer is a three-channel instrument with triple-axis gradients.
Dual Broadband Switchable Probe: This probe is designed for the best sensitivity on heteronuclei such as carbon and phosphorous. This probe is equipped for Z-axis gradients. Probe signal-to-noise specifications: 1H 547:1; 19F 598:1; 31P 221:1; 13C 376:1; 15N 49:1
Triple Resonance HCN Probe: This probe is designed for best proton sensitivity for 1-D proton spectra and proton-detected experiments such as COSY, NOESY, and HMQC. This probe is equipped for triple-axis gradients. Probe signal-to-noise specifications: 1H 1257:1
Hours of use: The Center for Drug Design NMR facility will be opened from 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday to set up samples. Users can do overnight runs and return the following morning to collect results.
Location: Room 7- 218 PWB
User requirements: NMR users must successfully complete the training program through the Structural Biology NMR Resource.