# Microscale Thermophoresis Instrument System for UCONN Biophysics Core Facility

> **NIH NIH S10** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS · 2021 · $190,817

## Abstract

Funds are requested for the purchase of a Microscale Thermophoresis (MST) instrument which
will be used to investigate molecular interactions in vitro. It will be housed within the University of
Connecticut’s Biophysics Core facility, a shared resource promoting research innovation through
access to cutting-edge biophysical technology and expertise. It serves the main Storrs campus
and the UConn Health Center, with a rapidly expanding user base currently consisting of over 30
laboratories as well as external industrial and academic users.
 MST offers a number of advantages over other methods for biophysical molecular
interaction analysis, such as Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and Surface Plasmon
Resonance (SPR), and Analytical Ultracentrifugation. It does not require immobilization of the
receptor, has low sample consumption, carries out rapid measurements, has a wide affinity range
and wide size range for interactants (from small molecules to large macromolecular complexes,
even ribosomes), and offers measurements in complex mixtures such as cell lysates. Most, if not
all, cellular processes are mediated by complex networks of biochemical interactions. MST is a
powerful technology that can be applied across a broad range of biomedical research fields. It is
also a key technology to drive drug discovery.
 There are 12 NIH funded users with projects that require the MST instrument to make
further progress characterizing molecular interactions relevant to human health and disease.
Instrumentation available at the University of Connecticut to measure interactions is limited to ITC
and SPR. Preliminary data obtained during our evaluation of MST demonstrate that the
NanoTemper Monolith NT.115 instrument provides a substantial improvement compared to these
technologies. This benefit was observed over a large number of diverse interactions. The
Biophysics Core has become a major cornerstone of instrumentation support for NIH funded
research at the University of Connecticut. There is a pressing need to add the MST instrument to
upgrade the Facility’s biomolecular interaction capabilities and to support continued growth of this
shared resource.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10173472
- **Project number:** 1S10OD028574-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS
- **Principal Investigator:** Heidi Erlandsen
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $190,817
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10173472

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10173472, Microscale Thermophoresis Instrument System for UCONN Biophysics Core Facility (1S10OD028574-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10173472. Licensed CC0.

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