(March 6, 2009) With the addition of robots to its X-Ray Core facility, UC Denver is pushing the limits of research, attracting grant money and extending the abilities of modern technology. Technological advances provide more accuracy, improve productivity and further the aims of scientific research with break-through discoveries.
Jeff Kieft, at left, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, is on the cutting edge of ribonucleic acid (RNA) research. In the Kieft Lab, the goal is to understand how the structure of RNA, a basic building block for life, affects its function. Of particular interest to the Kieft Lab are viruses with RNA genomes that cause human diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis, polio, cancer and others. Understanding how RNA’s function is a result of its three-dimensional structure will aid the research to better understand the causes and possible cures for these various diseases.
Some RNA viruses have also been linked to agricultural phenomena specifically in the recent decline of bee populations and of crop failures.
The new robots will aid the Kieft Lab and other structural biologists whose research is dependant on biomolecular crystallization. According to Kieft, “we can revolutionize RNA crystallography and the way we do structural biology with the new robots.” The robots increase the rate and precision of crystal screening, building, and optimization, a major hurdle in solving the structures of important biological macromolecules such as RNA. Additionally, the information and test results gathered by the robots can be accessed remotely as well as provide guidance for further testing. This new equipment allows for automated solution preparation, crystallization drop setting and crystal visualization. “We save time and have results much faster,” Kieft explains.
The funding for the robots was provided by a National Institutes of Health grant, which was supplemented with matching funds from the Academic Enrichment Fund. The addition of such technological advances aids UC Denver in increasing productivity in a competitive research field.