Bruker Enables Advanced Life-Science and Green-Tech Research in the UK


GHz-Class NMR, Structural Biology assisted by Artificial Intelligence, a New Scientific Software Division and Innovative Helium Solutions at EUROMAR 2023


At the EUROMAR Conference 2023 in Scotland, Bruker showcases the latest innovations in magnetic resonance technology for life science and materials science research. Bruker’s contributions to science in the United Kingdom (UK) will be further strengthened by recent orders for two 1.2 GHz Avance™ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers from the University of Warwick and the University of Birmingham. This major science infrastructure investment will enable groundbreaking research into materials properties for energy storage and biofuels, as well as structures and interactions of proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and metabolites in cell and pathobiology research, and drug discovery.

SciY Product Platform for Vendor-Agnostic Software (Graphic: Business Wire)

SciY Product Platform for Vendor-Agnostic Software (Graphic: Business Wire)

Both the University of Warwick and the University of Birmingham already utilize Bruker 1.0 GHz NMR spectrometers, and the additional 1.2 GHz Avance™ systems will propel this core UK NMR research infrastructure to new capabilities, with unparalleled sensitivity and resolution, empowering scientists to dive deeper into the intricacies of materials and biomolecular systems.

Bruker also showcases the new Ascend Evo 400 MHz NMR magnet that sets new standards for operational convenience and cost of ownership with improved liquid helium hold-time of one year, reducing the frequency for helium refills and streamlining laboratory operations. This novel magnet also has further improved field homogeneity, with new cryogenic shimming technology originally developed for ultra-high field magnets, in order to make sample shimming and operation even easier.

Bruker is committed to providing solutions for reducing helium consumption, such as the new HelioSmart-R system for collecting helium gas boil-off from magnets. The HelioSmart-R recovery solution has now been successfully installed in pharmaceutical labs (Merck in Darmstadt, Germany) and academic labs (University of South Carolina, US) and Bruker anticipates numerous additional installations throughout 2023. The new HelioSmart-L solution for liquefaction collects and liquifies helium boil-off from NMR magnets with over 95% recovery rate. HelioSmart-L collects steady-state helium boil-off during operations and during refills, and then purifies and liquefies the helium – creating a closed loop for improved sustainability.

Bruker advances its collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich (ETHZ) on accelerating protein structure determination by AI. At the heart of the collaboration is NMRtist, a cloud computing service that uses deep learning-based approaches to fully automate analysis of protein NMR spectra.

Professor Roland Riek of ETHZ, Head of the Bio-NMR group in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, commented: “Protein structure determination by NMR is a very time-consuming process and requires extensive manual intervention. Our goal was to leverage deep learning and AI to make it faster and more automated, while still achieving accurate results.”

The results obtained by the NMRtist cloud-based platform, such as resonance assignments, will be seamlessly integrated into more complex workflows in the future, addressing a variety of research questions. This collaboration between Bruker and ETHZ marks an important step in advancing protein structure determination. With AI-driven automation at its core, this partnership will continue to provide researchers with faster access to accurate results for many classes of proteins, while saving both time and expense in the process.

Bruker has recently introduced the SciY platform, which offers advanced and versatile software solutions for data analysis and management, research lab and bioproduction QC digitalization, as well as for scientific workflow automation. By integrating high-performance lab software solutions, the SciY platform provides a broad suite of vendor-agnostic software and automation solutions for the digital transformation of the life science and biopharma industries. The launch of SciY is led by Bruker’s Integrated Data Solutions division in collaboration with software and biopharma automation companies Mestrelab Research, Arxspan, Optimal Industrial Technologies, ZONTAL, and Optimal Industrial Automation. With innovative, modular software solutions, the SciY platform simplifies data acquisition and interpretation, maximizing the value of data in biopharma research, development and manufacturing.

Dr. Falko Busse, President of the Bruker BioSpin Group, concluded: “We are pleased to support the advancements in scientific and drug discovery research in the United Kingdom with Bruker innovations. We view the UK investments in advanced life and materials science research infrastructure as pivotal for the advancement of science, drug discovery and a green-tech economy, and we are proud to support these visionary endeavors. Our latest advancements in magnetic resonance instrumentation and software, now enhanced by artificial intelligence will provide our customers with greater capabilities and productivity for scientific research.”

To learn about Bruker at EUROMAR: https://www.bruker.com/en/news-and-events/events/euromar.html

About Bruker Corporation (Nasdaq: BRKR)

Bruker is enabling scientists to make breakthrough 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 life science molecular and cell biology research, in applied and pharma applications, in microscopy and nanoanalysis, as well as in industrial applications. 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.


Source: Bruker Corporation