Applications Of NMR In Biology

Nuclear magnetic resonance or NMR spectroscopy is an analytical technique used to investigate the structure and composition of samples.

In biology, NMR has broad applicability; it is used to study proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids and even supports profiling complex metabolites.

An advantage of this technique is that it requires only a small amount of the sample.

NMR is particularly useful for determining the structure of proteins that are difficult to crystallize. It provides information on protein conformational changes, protein-ligand interactions, and how the protein folds inside a cell.

Non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging or MRI applies the NMR principle in medical diagnosis to take cross-sectional images of anatomical structures.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy can compare the chemical changes in abnormal tissue, such as an Alzheimer’s patient’s brain tissue, with healthy brain tissue to study the metabolic changes during disease progression.

In pharmaceutical research, NMR allows the screening of potential drugs by determining the binding interaction between the drug and its target biomolecule.