HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), a scientific and philanthropic organization whose principal purpose is the direct conduct of biomedical research, has opened a new research facility in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at UMBC. This state-of-the-art facility contains 800 MHz and 600 MHz NMR instruments. UMBC was the first academic institution in the U.S. to obtain an 800 MHz NMR instrument. Research in the HHMI laboratory focuses on NMR-based studies of the structure, dynamics and function of proteins and macromolecular interactions, with emphasis on proteins of the human immunodeficiency virus. The director of this laboratory, Dr. Michael F. Summers, is also a professor in the department.