Ascend

Ascend 1.2 GHz: Raising the Bar on Ultra-High Field NMR

The world's first superconducting 1.2 GHz magnet for high-resolution NMR in functional structural biology

Developed to address the scientific requirements for increased sensitivity and higher resolution in order to study larger proteins, functional disorder and macromolecular complexes, Bruker has successfully delivered the world's first stable and homogeneous standard-bore Ascend™ 1.2 GHz NMR magnet.

For many years, high-resolution NMR was limited to a magnetic field of 23.5 Tesla, equivalent to a 1H resonance frequency of 1.0 GHz. This limit was set by the physical properties of metallic, low-temperature superconductors (LTS), and it was first reached in 2009 with an Avance® 1000 spectrometer at the Ultra-High Field NMR Center in Lyon, France.

High-temperature superconductors (HTS), first discovered in the 1980s, open the door towards even higher magnetic fields at low temperatures, but considerable challenges in YBCO HTS tape manufacturing and in superconducting magnet technology made further UHF progress daunting until recently.

Bruker's unique GHz-Class NMR magnets utilize a novel hybrid design with advanced high-temperature superconductor (HTS) in the inner sections and low-temperature superconductor (LTS) in the outer sections of the magnet. The Ascend 1.2 GHz is a stable, standard-bore (54 mm) magnet with homogeneity similar to Bruker's existing 1.0 GHz and 1.1 GHz magnets for high-resolution NMR. The 1.2 GHz spectrometers are available with different ultra-high field probes, including CryoProbes for solution-state NMR to fast-spinning MAS solid-state NMR probes.

What Our Customers Are Saying

Professors Lucia Banci and Claudio Luchinat at the CERM of University of Florence, stated: "We are very excited to have received the world's first 1.2 GHz NMR spectrometer in our lab, a result of multiple years of research and development at Bruker in various fields ranging from superconducting material science, magnet design, probe technology and NMR spectrometer electronics. We are looking forward to putting the instrument to use in our research on the structures and function of proteins linked to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases, as well as in cancer research."

"We are truly impressed with Bruker's UHF magnet technology, which we were able to test in conjunction with a 111 kHz magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid state NMR probe. The clearly improved sensitivity will be a key feature for biological and biomedical research, e.g. for protein complexes and Alzheimer-beta fibrils," commented Professor Beat Meier of the ETH Zürich, another future 1.2 GHz customer.

Professor Matthias Ernst from ETH continued: "The sensitivity of this new instrument is impressive and will enable new applications in the area of proton-detected fast MAS experiments. The homogeneity of this new class of HTS-based magnets - which had been a concern in the community - is impeccable and meets our stringent requirements."

Ascend 1.1 GHz: A Technological Milestone

World's First Successful Installation of 1.1 GHz NMR System

In 2019, Bruker successfully installed the world's first 1.1 GHz NMR system at St. Jude's Children Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. Charalampos Kalodimos, Chair of the Structural Biology Department at St. Jude's Children Research Hospital added: "We are thrilled to have received the first 1.1 GHz NMR spectrometer, which will be our most important tool to perform research in the area of dynamic molecular machines such as molecular chaperones and protein kinases. We commend Bruker on this impressive technological achievement."

Bruker's 1.1 GHz Ascend Magnet at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
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Dr. Christian Griesinger, Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany, observed: "In combination with the static X-ray structure, this 1.1 GHz data quantitatively explains the FRET (Förster resonance energy transfer) efficiency for the first time . This quantification is now a firm basis for developers of sensors to further optimize calcium-sensors which are essential to measure calcium concentrations in neurons with spatially resolved fluorescence and therefore a tool in neurobiology. We are looking forward to receiving our 1.2 GHz spectrometer, which we will use for our current projects on characterizing droplets and oligomers of intrinsically disordered proteins that are the key players in many diseases, such as neurodegeneration and cancer. These important disordered systems currently cannot be studied at Angstrom resolution with other methods in structural biology, such as X-ray crystallography or cryo-EM."

Incorporating Key Technologies for Best Performance and Cost Efficiency

This new magnet line combines the key advantages of Bruker’s well-established UltraShield™ Plus magnets with further innovations

The Ascend™ series of compact NMR magnets will make medium and high-field
NMR even more powerful, and at the same time more convenient and accessible
to more NMR laboratories. This new magnet line combines the key advantages of Bruker’s well-established UltraShield™ Plus magnets with further innovations for superior performance, greater convenience, and operational cost savings.

The Ascend magnet design features advanced superconductor technology,
enabling the design of smaller magnet coils, thus resulting in a significant reduction in physical size and magnetic stray fields. The Ascend magnets are therefore easier to site, safer to run and less expensive to operate.

Maximum Performance

Unique jointing technology leading to the lowest drift rates for outstanding field stability
External Disturbance Suppression (EDS) providing up to 99% screening efficiency against external magnetic field disturbances
Minimum stray fields

Easy to Site with Less Preparation Costs

Easier magnet access and rigging due to smaller size and weight
Reduced physical and magnetic footprint in the lab
Reduced ceiling height requirements

Ascend magnets are compatible with newly developed and most recent Bruker
NMR probes, spectrometers, automation technology and software, for integrated high performance NMR systems used in structural biology, small molecule and materials research applications.

Ascend 600

Operational Cost Savings

Magnet	Previous generation magnet, He consumption	Ascend magnet, He consumption	Cryogen savings, % of less He consumtion
400MHz	15 ml/hr	13 ml/hr	13% less He
500MHz	17 ml/hr	13 ml/hr	23% less He
600MHz	28 ml/hr	16 ml/hr	42% less He
700MHz	45 ml/hr	26 ml/hr	42% less He
750MHz	92 ml/hr	45 ml/hr	51% less He
800MHz	140 ml/hr	47 ml/hr	66% less He
850MHz	250 ml/hr	140 ml/hr	44% less He

The availability of cutting-edge superconducting wire technology achieves magnetic fields of up to 850 MHz from a compact magnet, while matching and surpassing the performance of the traditional magnets. New and improved Electromagnetic Disturbance Suppression (EDS) provides excellent screening efficiency against external magnetic field disturbances, ideal for challenging environments and a requirement when placing systems in space-restricted laboratories. Bruker’s proprietary jointing technology for high-current and high-field joints guarantee the lowest drift rates.

Ascend™ magnets, available from 400 to 850 MHz are extremely flexible and easy to site, even in single story labs, with compact size and minimal stray field. Access for sample loading and changing is easier, and rigging costs are reduced. The small dewar size reduces cryogen consumption, making the new magnets more economical to run.