Reinforcing chemical research in Greece
The NHRF is a non-profit research organisation that was founded in 1958 and its research activities focus on history, biology and chemistry. On the chemical front, the work of the NHRF DOMC is devoted to the design and synthesis of functional compounds as well as bioactive compounds and materials. These could be used to target major diseases such as myocardial infarction, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Wishing to expand its research potential, the EU-funded 'Advancement of research capability for the development of new functional compounds' (ARCADE) project focused on human and equipment infrastructure. The received funding was utilised to recruit more research personnel and to advance the existing equipment of the DOMC. One of the key project activities entailed the establishment of a new mass spectrometry facility to increase the accuracy and sensitivity of detection of a series of chemical experiments. Combined with a protein purification facility and upgraded nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) capacity, the ARCADE project aimed to substantially improve the capacity of DOMC to perform combinatorial research in the field of applied and structural chemistry. DOMC researchers will now be able to synthesise, purify and determine the complex structure of novel bioactive compounds of pharmaceutical significance. To promote the activities of the project and highlight the improved research capacity of the DOMC, three specialised workshops and an International Conference on Chemistry for Health were organised in Athens in 2012. This has helped to reinforce existing collaborations and establish new ones with 14 European institutions. Overall, the ARCADE project has contributed to enhancing the visibility of DOMC in the field of chemical research and highlighting its existing research activities at the international level. Importantly, the equipment infrastructure provides specialised state-of-the-art services in Greece and is believed to improve the quality of research at the national level. At NHRF alone, the activities of the ARCADE project have led to the submission of over 30 manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals.
Keywords
Chemistry, protein purification, mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, functional compounds, bioactive
