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Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Use of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance in Biological Samples at Ambient Temperature and 77 K
Published on: January 11, 2019
Biological J-Coupling Spectroscopy at Low Magnetic Field
Gonzalo G Rodriguez1,2, Charlotte von Petersdorff-Campen1,2, Sergey Korchak1,2
1NMR Signal Enhancement Group Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences Am Fassberg 11 37077 Göttingen Germany.
None:
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for investigating biological systems. In particular, low-field NMR offers advantages for studying cellular metabolism in their native environment. This is especially relevant for in vitro studies, where low-field NMR can be used to analyze biological samples with reduced equipment size and cost, potentially enabling high-throughput benchtop research. However, the study of cellular metabolism at low, milli-Tesla, magnetic fields remains an unsolved challenge due to reduced chemical shifts and dominant spin-spin couplings (J-couplings) that complicate spectral analysis. Herein, this problem is tackled by combining J-coupling spectroscopy and parahydrogen-induced polarization with a multinuclear scanner built in-house. The results demonstrate the ability to resolve pyruvate metabolism of cancer cells in regular NMR tubes at milli-Tesla fields using [2-13C]pyruvate. This work concludes that low-field biological J-coupling spectroscopy can be a valuable tool for studying cellular metabolism, enabling new insights into biological systems.
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