Bruker Announces Successful Installation of 1.2 GHz Avance® NMR Spectrometer at the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI)

SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 13, 2024--

Bruker Corporation is pleased to announce the successful installation and acceptance of a 1.2 GHz Avance® Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer at the Korea Basic Science Institute ( KBSI ), just in time before the start of the ICMRBS 2024 conference in Korea. As the first 1.2 GHz NMR system in the Asia-Pacific region, it sets a new benchmark for molecular, cell biology and disease research by ultra-high field NMR.

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This underscores KBSI’s unwavering commitment to innovation in research infrastructure, cementing its status as a world-class fundamental research institute. This cutting-edge 1.2 GHz NMR spectrometer further enhances KBSI’s capabilities in biomolecular structure analysis and drug development, pushing the boundaries of protein NMR research. Ultra-high field NMR provides excellent sensitivity and unprecedented resolution, enabling researchers to observe functional molecular dynamics and structural rearrangements in real time. Complementary to other structural biology technologies, GHz-class NMR allows KBSI to elucidate complex biological processes, such as protein-ligand interactions and the behavior of intrinsically disordered proteins, which are crucial for understanding disease mechanisms and developing new therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Hae-Kap Cheong, Manager of the UHF NMR system at KBSI, expressed his enthusiasm: “When using the 1.2 GHz instrument, the opportunities for small molecule research made me speechless. In particular, the structural elucidation of natural products will be greatly beneficial.”

Dr. Donghan Lee, Scientific Researcher at KBSI, adds: “As Richard Feynman said, ‘Everything that living things do can be understood in terms of the jiggling and wiggling of atoms.’ The function of biomolecules can be understood by their dynamic nature. In particular, the functional conformation of biomolecules may be hidden because of their dynamic nature. With the 1.2 GHz instrument, the detection of these conformations enables the unprecedented identification of functional conformations.”

KBSI is dedicated to advancing scientific research through state-of-the-art technology and innovative research facilities. As a platform for global basic research, KBSI connects research facilities, equipment, and researchers, driving the future of science and technology in the Asia-Pacific region. With its mission to lead the innovation of research facilities and equipment, KBSI continues to support advanced analytical research and joint research initiatives in Korea and beyond.

Dr. Kyoung-Seok Ryu, Director of the Biopharmaceutical Research Center at KBSI, added: “The application of the 1.2 GHz instrument includes mechanistic understanding, in particular, the mode-of-action of drug-target binding and molecular communication. Furthermore, studying intrinsically disordered or partially disordered proteins with the 1.2 GHz NMR instrument can elucidate the functional mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration.”

KBSI will utilize the 1.2 GHz spectrometer for a diverse range of research applications, including the study of biomolecular structures and the development of new drugs. This ultra-high field NMR instrument will support other KBSI research in biomedical multiomics, bioimaging, and the development of diagnostic methods for infectious diseases. The broader benefits of this research will extend to advancements in medical research, materials science, and other critical fields.

Dr. Falko Busse, President of Bruker BioSpin, commented: “We are thrilled to see the 1.2 GHz NMR become a key part of KBSI’s research infrastructure. Grateful for the trust from KBSI, we look forward to the scientific advancements that will emerge. We are pleased to offer a tour of the 1.2 GHz NMR at KBSI during the International Conference on Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems.”

Interested researchers can book the tour at Bruker Booth A1 at ICMRBS for Friday, August 23, providing a unique opportunity to explore the advanced capabilities of this revolutionary instrument.

With the installation at KBSI, there are now 22 GHz-class NMR spectrometers installed worldwide, including two in the Asia-Pacific region. This demonstrates the growing recognition of the value GHz-class NMR brings to scientific research. Together with the first single-story 1.0 GHz NMR already installed in Japan, KBSI’s 1.2 GHz highlights the need for cutting-edge research infrastructure.

About Bruker Corporation – Leader of the Post-Genomic Era (Nasdaq: BRKR)

Bruker is enabling scientists and engineers to make breakthrough post-genomic discoveries and develop new applications that improve the quality of human life. Bruker’s high performance scientific instruments and high value analytical and diagnostic solutions enable scientists to explore life and materials at molecular, cellular, and microscopic levels. In close cooperation with our customers, Bruker is enabling innovation, improved productivity, and customer success in post-genomic life science molecular and cell biology research, in applied and biopharma applications, in microscopy and nanoanalysis, as well as in industrial and cleantech research, and next-gen semiconductor metrology in support of AI. Bruker offers differentiated, high-value life science and diagnostics systems and solutions in preclinical imaging, clinical phenomics research, proteomics and multiomics, spatial and single-cell biology, functional structural and condensate biology, as well as in clinical microbiology and molecular diagnostics. For more information, please visit www.bruker.com.

Dr. Kyoung-Seok Ryu, Director of Biopharmaceutical Research Center, KBSI

1.2 GHz Avance® NMR system at Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County has reached a $4 billion agreement to settle nearly 7,000 claims of sexual abuse in juvenile facilities since 1959, officials said Friday.

The agreement, which still needs approval from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, far surpasses a $2.6 billion settlement reached in 2022 with Boy Scouts of America that was the largest aggregate sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history at the time.

“On behalf of the County, I apologize wholeheartedly to everyone who was harmed by these reprehensible acts,” Fesia Davenport, the county’s chief executive, said in a statement.

The agreement would settle lawsuits filed by thousands of people who alleged they were mistreated and sexually abused in foster care and juvenile detention facilities in Los Angeles County. The plaintiffs were able to sue because of a California law that took effect in 2020 and suspended the statute of limitations for childhood sex abuse victims to bring cases for three years.

Many of the claims involved the MacLaren Children’s Center, which was closed in 2003. The facility, which was intended to be a safe space for children awaiting placement in foster homes, opened in 1961 and was overseen by probation officials until it was placed under the county’s Department of Children and Family Services in 1976.

One man said he was sexually abused by a physician at the facility when he was 8 years old, while another said he was assaulted by a male staff member in a bathroom when he was 5. Children were routinely placed in solitary confinement, drugged and restrained in chairs at the facility, according to court papers filed by plaintiffs.

“It is bittersweet for the survivors, because nothing is ever going to take away what was done to them, and how badly their lives were altered and how much they have suffered,” said Adam Slater, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys. “However, the settlement hopefully gives them some measure of justice and provides them with some measure of closure.”

Other private and public entities have been rocked by allegations of wide-ranging abuse and subsequent settlements.

The 2022 settlement by Boy Scouts of America, which recently renamed itself Scouting America, involved more than 80,000 men who said they were molested as children by scouting leaders and others.

And last year the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $800 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse, bringing the total payout to more than $1.5 billion.

Disclosure of the massive tentative payout by Los Angeles County comes at a time when the nation’s largest county — home to about 10 million residents — is facing a tightening bind of financial obligations on its $49 billion annual budget. Officials fear hundreds of millions of dollars for public services could vanish in Trump administration cutbacks, while the county has seen additional costs from January’s historic wildfires as it also deals with an ongoing homeless crisis.

Davenport recently said the county is facing a “large amount of uncertainty” with its budget — some agencies are largely funded by federal dollars.

The proposed agreement includes creating a countywide hotline for reporting child sexual abuse allegations against employees and developing a system to expedite investigations, officials said.

“By balancing justice for the victims with a commitment to reform, this resolution ensures both acknowledgment of past wrongs and a pathway to a safer, more accountable future,” Patrick McNicholas, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said in a statement.

The county’s claims board will consider the proposed settlement Monday. If approved, it would be considered by the Board of Supervisors on April 29.

Taxin reported from Santa Ana, California. Associated Press writer Olga R. Rodríguez in San Francisco contributed.

FILE - Jonathan Wright, 39, holds up the T-shirt he was given when he first went to MacLaren Children's Center in El Monte as an 8-year-old during a news conference in Los Angeles, June 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Christopher Weber, File)