The first Ascend 1.1 GHz Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer, the
largest and most powerful device of its
kind, will allow St. Jude researchers to
study proteins, DNA, RNA and other
biomolecules to better understand
cancer and other catastrophic diseases
that affect children. The goal is to
advance the research done at St. Jude
and translate that research into cures
for children. Having the right tool, the
power and the resolution that the NMR
provides will let scientists at St. Jude do
research that, up until now, has been
impossible.
The NMR will be used extensively by
the Structural Biology Department at
St. Jude to tackle important biological
systems with the goal of understanding
health and disease at the molecular and
atomic level. It is the centerpiece of the
department’s expansion, which is being
led by Charalampos “Babis” Kalodimos,
Ph.D., department chair (previous page photo, left). On
the right is Youlin Xia, Director, Center for Biomolecular
NMR Spectroscopy, Structural Biology.
“This 1.1 GHz system provides unprecedented
capabilities and opportunities for us to answer
challenging biological questions,” Kalodimos said. “It will
be our most important tool to perform research in the
area of dynamic molecular machines that are otherwise
not amenable to other technologies.”
Dr. James R. Downing, St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital President and CEO, said the addition of the
NMR will significantly enhance the technological
infrastructure within the Structural Biology Department.
“In our fight against pediatric cancer and other
catastrophic childhood diseases, it is imperative that we
learn as much as possible about the basic relationships
within cells and how those relationships affect the
growth and also treatment of disease,” Downing
explained. “Investments in state-of-the-art technology
like this NMR spectrometer allow us to make scientific
progress faster. Not only will we be able to use NMR
technology to identify proteins that may be the root
cause of cancer, but we can also see how those proteins
are affected by our treatments. This could lead to
major breakthroughs in our understanding of disease
pathogenesis and therapeutic responses.”
These advancements in technology will improve
treatment and research for children with life-
threatening illnesses globally—children like Gabe, a St.
Jude patient, who recently took his first steps without
the aid of a walker at the St. Jude Walk/Run Minneapolis,
nearly two years after brain surgery left him paralyzed.
His treatment for brain cancer had included surgery,
radiation therapy and chemotherapy, but he had also
undergone tough physical and occupational therapies.
Most of the time, he relied on his wheelchair, but he’d
been working hard to change that.
Gabe put one foot in front of the other, and he walked.
“Honestly, everything went so great. He did some of
the best walking with someone not behind him,” said
his mom, Andrea. “He asked me, ‘Mom, are you proud
I did it?’ I teared up. He’s always been the kid who
wants to please people. I told him, ‘I’m proud of you no
matter what. You’ve done so much, bud. Every step is an
accomplishment.’”
St. Jude thanks USAPA for making moments like these
possible and for being a part of the St. Jude family. It
assures that the fundraising makes a huge difference.
Danny Thomas believed that many small gifts were
more important than a one-million-dollar gift and St.
Jude’s partnership with USAPA is really about rallying
many people nationwide to make a huge impact for the
researchers, doctors, nurses, families and patients of St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
To continue making an impact, visit www.stjude.org/
get-involved/fundraising-ideas.html. •
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 |
MAGAZINE
49