Integration of a versatile bridge concept in a 34 GHz pulsed/CW EPR spectrometer

Structure and Dynamics of Monoclonal Antibody Domains Using Spins, Scattering, and Simulations

Antibody-based pharmaceuticals are the leading biologic drug platform (> $75B/year).[1] Despite a wealth of information collected on them, there is still a lack of knowledge on their inter-domain structural distributions, which impedes innovation and development. To address this measurement gap, we have developed a new methodology to derive biomolecular structure ensembles from distance distribution measurements via a library of tagged proteins bound to an unlabeled and otherwise unmodified target biologic. We have employed the NIST monoclonal antibody (NISTmAb) reference material as our development platform for use with spin-labeled affinity protein (SLAP) reagents. Using double electron-electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy, we have determined inter-spin distance distributions in SLAP complexes of both the isolated Fc domain and the intact NISTmAb. Our SLAP reagents offer a general and extendable technology, compatible with any non-isotopically labeled immunoglobulin G class mAb. Integrating molecular simulations with the DEER and solution X-ray scattering measurements, we enable simultaneous determination of structural distributions and dynamics of mAb-based biologics.

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Characterization of Sodium- and Carbonate-Containing Hydroxyapatite Cement

Ionizing radiation-induced paramagnetic defects in calcified tissues like tooth enamel are indicators of irradiation dose. Hydroxyapatite (HA), the principal constituent in these materials, incorporates a variety of anions (CO₃^2-, F^-, Cl^-, and SiO₄^4-) and cations (Mn²⁺, Li⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Mg²⁺, and Na⁺) that directly or indirectly contribute to the formation of stable paramagnetic centers upon irradiation. Here, we used an underexploited synthesis method based on the ambient temperature setting reaction of a self-hardening calcium phosphate cement (CPC) to create carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite (CHA) and investigate its paramagnetic properties following γ-irradiation. Powder X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopic characterization of the hardened CHA samples indicate the formation of pure B-type CHA cement. CHA samples exposed to γ-radiation doses ranging from 1 Gy to 150 kGy exhibited an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal from an orthorhombic CO₂^•- free radical. At γ-radiation doses from 30 to 150 kGy, a second signal emerged that is assigned to the CO₃^•- free radical. We observed that the formation of this second species is dose-dependent, which provided a means to extend the useful dynamic range of irradiated CHA to doses >30 kGy. These results indicate that CHA synthesized via a CPC cement is a promising substrate for EPR-based dosimetry. Further studies on the CHA cement are underway to determine the suitability of these materials for a range of biological and industrial dosimetry applications.

THz-enhanced dynamic nuclear polarized liquid spectrometer

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) technology can be utilized to dramatically enhance NMR signal. In this paper, we report on the development of a self-constructed 5 T DNP spectrometer for liquid samples and the ¹³C DNP enhancement achieved with this spectrometer. The DNP spectrometer is comprised of a wide-bore superconducting magnet, a home-made console, a dual resonance probe and a self-built 140 GHz microwave source for the spectrometer. Specifically, a microwave source of traveling wave tube (TWT) amplifier has been developed, which can provide a maximum power output of 4.4 W and a wide frequency tuning range of 1 GHz. The excellent performance of our built liquid-state DNP spectrometer is verified by the observation of more than 100-fold DNP enhancement of the ¹³C NMR signal for liquid ¹³CCl₄ sample. Our result shows the superiority of DNP technology in the liquid-state high-field NMR spectrometer.

Scalable microresonators for room-temperature detection of electron spin resonance from dilute, sub-nanoliter volume solids

We report a microresonator platform that allows room temperature detection of electron spins in volumes on the order of 100 pl, and demonstrate its utility to study low levels of dopants in perovskite oxides. We exploit the toroidal moment in a planar anapole, using a single unit of an anapole metamaterial architecture to produce a microwave resonance exhibiting a spatially confined magnetic field hotspot and simultaneously high quality-factor (Q-factor). To demonstrate the broad implementability of this design and its scalability to higher frequencies, we deploy the microresonators in a commercial electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer operating at 10 GHz and a NIST-built EPR spectrometer operating at 35 GHz. We report continuous-wave (CW) EPR spectra for various samples, including a dilute Mn²⁺-doped perovskite oxide, CaTiO₃, and a transition metal complex, CuCl₂2H₂O. The anapole microresonator presented here is expected to enable multifrequency EPR characterization of dopants and defects in perovskite oxide microcrystals and other volume-limited materials of technological importance.

UWB DEER and RIDME distance measurements in Cu(II)-Cu(II) spin pairs

Distance determination by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) based on measurements of the dipolar coupling are technically challenging for electron spin systems with broad spectra due to comparatively narrow microwave pulse excitation bandwidths. With Na₄[{Cu^II(PyMTA)}-(stiff spacer)-{Cu^II(PyMTA)}] as a model compound, we compared DEER and RIDME measurements and investigated the use of frequency-swept pulses. We found very large improvements in sensitivity when substituting the monochromatic pump pulse by a frequency-swept one in DEER experiments with monochromatic observer pulses. This effect was especially strong in X band, where nearly the whole spectrum can be included in the experiment. The RIDME experiment is characterised by a trade-off in signal intensity and modulation depth. Optimal parameters are further influenced by varying steepness of the background decay. A simple 2-point optimization experiment was found to serve as good estimate to identify the mixing time of highest sensitivity. Using frequency-swept pulses in the observer sequences resulted in lower SNR in both the RIDME and the DEER experiment. Orientation selectivity was found to vary in both experiments with the detection position as well as with the settings of the pump pulse in DEER. In RIDME, orientation selection by relaxation anisotropy of the inverted spin appeared to be negligible as form factors remain relatively constant with varying mixing time. This reduces the overall observed orientation selection to the one given by the detection position. Field-averaged data from RIDME and DEER with a shaped pump pulse resulted in the same dipolar spectrum. We found that both methods have their advantages and disadvantages for given instrumental limitations and sample properties. Thus the choice of method depends on the situation at hand and we discuss which parameters should be considered for optimization.