It’s not always easy doing public outreach for a research university. Sometimes you have to write articles about things that don’t really resonate with the general audience, like Isothermal titration calorimetry. It certainly doesn’t resonate with me, anyway!
UNH News gave it a shot in this article, titled Powerful New Research Technology.
Isothermal titration calorimetry is a fundamental technique for many research areas, providing vital information about what happens when two things — such as two chemicals, two solutions, or two biological molecules — are mixed together. The instrument measures whether heat is consumed or released by the interaction and the magnitude of the change over time.
It sounds simple, but it has far-reaching applications. Biochemists can learn what happens to molecular signaling and binding properties when a mutation affects a cellular receptor, a key measurement for drug development and a reason why isothermal titration calorimetry is considered the gold standard for understanding critical drug-target interactions. Material scientists can test whether a material is able to bind to and sequester per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — dangerous “forever” chemicals — effectively enough to remove them from the environment. Bioengineers can assess hydrogel materials to determine how well they bind with growth factors to accelerate wound healing in the body. And much more.
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