Advancing Biomedical Research with NMR techniques

Visakhapatnam: Biomarkers such as glutamine are emerging as critical tools in the early diagnosis and progression monitoring of tumours, said Jithender Reddy, senior scientist at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT).

Speaking at a faculty development programme (FDP) on ‘NMR of Small Molecules for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications’ organised by GITAM’s faculty development center here on Friday, Dr Reddy highlighted his team’s pioneering efforts in identifying and developing biomarkers like glutamine to diagnose tumours and monitor their progression among patients. He elaborated on the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques in the characterisation of molecular structures, ranging from small molecules to complex compounds.

Prof Neeraj Sinha, a distinguished scientist from the Centre for Biomedical Research (CBMR), introduced the fundamentals of NMR spectroscopy, 2D NMR techniques and solid-state NMR. He showcased CBMR’s research advancements, emphasising NMR’s utility in studying bone microstructure, serum profiling in gallbladders for cancer progression and identifying biomarkers for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Prof Sinha also discussed accurate methods for quantifying metabolites in body fluids.

Prof Dinesh Kumar from CBMR explained development of innovative NMR methods and protocols for rapid structural and functional studies of proteins in detail, underlining the potential of these methods in advancing biomedical research. A V S S Sharma and Chandrasekhar from Bruker presented the latest technological advancements in the design and development of new NMR instruments, which are expected to revolutionise molecular and biomedical research.

Speaking on the occasion, GITAM’s in-charge Vice-Chancellor Prof Y Gowtham Rao encouraged the participants to implement the knowledge gained from the FDP in their research endeavours and contribute to high-impact publications in international journals.