The Tufts University Biological NMR Center (TBNMRC) is housed in the Biochemistry Department at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston. It is a shared instrumentation facility made possible through funding from both NIH and NSF, as well as Departmental and University funds over its 20 year history.

The Center was originated in 1981 by the Facility Director, Prof. W.W. Bachovchin with the acquisition of a Bruker widebore AM-400 NMR Spectrometer, adding to the existing Biochemistry Dept.'s Bruker WP-60. In 1984 Dr. Sudmeier was recruited by Dr. Bachovchin to run the daily operations as Assoc. Director. In 1992, a new Bruker AMX-500 NMR Spectometer was installed, and the WP-60 was phased out.

In early 1999, two new Bruker Avance spectrometers with UltraShield magnets were installed, a DRX-600 with triple axis gradients and a DPX-300, while the AM-400 system was traded in. At that time, a wall was removed and the entire lab space completely redesigned, with new lighting, paint, carpeting, climate control, and furniture added.

The closely-related computer network for off-line NMR spectra processing and macromolecular structure determination began in 1988 with the acquisition of a Sun-360 Work Station and a Zeta 924 Plotter interfaced to the AM400 . The 360 was replaced by a Sun SparcII, and later by a network of Silicon Graphics Indig and O2 Work Stations.

Tufts Biological NMR Center (TBNMRC) has had from its inception a commitment of service to researchers from the University and from the surrounding area. Either on a collaborative or recharge basis, we have run NMR spectra or provided spectrometer time for virtually every other department in the Medical School; our colleagues from the Medford Campus; Harvard; M.I.T. (Nat'l Magnet Lab); Boston College; Boston University; Wood's Hole; Tuebingen, Germany; Carlsberg Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark; and for local biotech companies (eg. Genzyme, Dyax, Millenium, Paratek).