Plateforme pluridisciplinaire de spectrométrie RPE d'Aix-Marseille (Multidisciplinary spectrometry plateform of Aix-Marseille)
Aix-Marseille Université
The Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), or Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), is a central technique for characterizing paramagnetic species. In the field of Life Sciences, it is particularly well suited for molecular analysis of biological systems, their functions and interactions. The facility is mostly dedicated to applications and developments in Life Sciences at the Chemistry-Biology interface. It notably benefits from the scientific support of nine researchers and two engineers.
Also of particular significance, the facility is:-labelled 'Plateforme Technologique d’Aix-Marseille',
-one of the four french centres that make the French national EPR network RENARD (IR CNRS 3443), and the most important centre in terms of EPR equipments and human resources,
-the unique EPR centre in the european MOSBRI ('MOlecular Scale Biophysics Research Infrastructure') consortium, along with the two other CIVIS partners : SUR and ULB, and in the frame of the european H2020 INFRAIA program that will start in July 2021 for four years.
The equipments precisely inlcude:-continuous wave spectrometers (S, X, Q, W bands),
-pulsed spectrometers (X, Q, W bands). EPR-MRS is one of the site belonging to the newly created MOSBRI (MOlecular Scale Biophysics Research Infrastructure).
LS8_5 - Biological aspects of environmental change, including climate change - Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
PE5_1 - Structural properties of materials - Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
PE2_9 - Electromagnetism - Fundamental Constituents of Matter
PE9_10 - Relativistic astrophysics and compact objects - Universe Sciences
LS9_7 - Environmental biotechnology and bioengineering - Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
PE11_12 - Semi-conducting and magnetic materials engineering - Materials Engineering
LS1_7 - Molecular biophysics, biomechanics, bioenergetics - Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions
PE3_8 - Magnetism and strongly correlated systems - Condensed Matter Physics
magnetic resonance
EPR
Electron Paramagnetic Resonance
ESR
Electron Spin Resonance
continuous wave
pulsed
multifrequency
paramagnetic labels
magnetic materials
transition metal complex
metalloenzymes
free radicals
catalysis
structural analysis
The facility is open to scientific communities of both the academic and private sectors upon request. Projects are then selected after their respective relevance and excellence by an expert committee.Through the MOSBRI framework, the access to a large panel of cutting-edge biophysical technologies and expertise will be available at no cost to all European researchers from both academia and industry.
Among the services provided by the facility are:
-determination of the metal content,
-analysis of metal complexes and cofactors in chemistry, biology, physics, geosciences,
-heritage and magnetic materials anaysis,
-detection of free radicals (e.g., oxidative stress, dosimetry, enzymatic mechanisms),
-use of paramagnetic labels for biostructural studies.