Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Organic molecules play a central role in many biological processes, from signaling molecules used by insects, to the development of the next generation of drugs for human diseases. To study these compounds effectively, scientists must be able to separate individual molecules from the complex mixtures typically found in biological samples. Funding is requested to purchase a new type of instrument for the fine-scale separation of organic molecules. <br /> This instrument, called a supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) system, uses the unique fluid-like properties of compressed carbon dioxide gas at high temperature and pressure to separate organic molecules on a chromatography column. This method is fundamentally distinct from other systems that use liquids or gasses for the separation process, because &lsquo;supercritical&rsquo; carbon dioxide has physical properties that are between these two states. Moreover, when compared to other liquid- or gas-based chromatography methods, the SFC system is better at separating molecules, takes less time, and separates a wider range of samples. <br /> The growing area of bio-organic chemistry at Simon Fraser University (SFU) has been strengthened by the recent funding of a new Chemical Screening Center. This center will provide new tools for evaluating the effects of organic molecules on biological systems, and will help identify important chemical, structural and functional features for these interactions. The long-term goal of the center is to understand the basic biology and drug development potential of the interactions between organic molecules and cellular targets. To develop small molecule tools for new biological targets (such as multidrug-resistant bacteria) new sources of organic molecules are needed and are being developed by bio-organic researchers at SFU. Many of these originate from massive collections or &lsquo;libraries&rsquo; of natural molecules from Canadian microorganisms, synthetic molecules from medicinal chemistry libraries, and synthetic substrates and probe molecules for assay development. <br /> The SFC system is critical to the development of these new sources, as many of these projects are only possible due to the separation power of SFC. SFC is particularly effective at separating polar compounds and molecules that differ from one another in terms of their left and right &lsquo;handedness&rsquo;. Both of these sorts of compounds feature heavily in the planned research. Therefore the success of these bio-organic discovery projects hinges on having access to this new type of instrument, which will provide SFU with a powerful approach to the discovery and development of biologically relevant small molecule chemistry.