Researchers at the Department of Organic Chemistry and the Center for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), led by Kathrin Breuker, have been awarded funding for a state-of-the-art mass spectrometer in a competitive FFG infrastructure call. The instrument will open up new possibilities for biomolecular research at the University of Innsbruck.
The high-resolution 12 Tesla Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT-ICR) instrument will open new avenues in biomolecular mass spectrometry with focus on ribonucleic acids (RNA), further strengthening the internationally recognized RNA hotspot in Innsbruck and advancing research in nucleic acid chemistry and biology. The acquisition is the result of a joint initiative of Kathrin Breuker with Christoph Kreutz, Ronald Micura, Martin Tollinger, Thomas Müller and Thomas Magauer from the Department of Organic Chemistry .
In synergistic collaborations between researchers from both universities in Innsbruck, the new FT-ICR instrument will be used in an interdisciplinary way to study RNA structure, modification, reactivity/catalysis and interactions with proteins, small molecules and inorganic ions that form the molecular basis of regulatory processes in cells. The novel insights will provide fresh impetus for the development of drugs (RNA therapeutics, RNA vaccines, antisense RNA, siRNAs, etc.) to combat human diseases caused, for example, by viral pathogens, and open the door to collaborations with research departments from the public sector and the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, the infrastructure will add significant value to the education of students who are in high demand as key personnel in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries.
The new instrument was financed by the FFG's R&D Infrastructure Funding 2023 with co-financing from the European Union and the University of Innsbruck.
