MMUST acquired the first ever Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) machine in Eastern and Central Africa. NMR is a modern spectroscopic analytical instrument used by researchers to determine the structure of organic substances present in living things and the environment. The Head of Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry Dr. Francis Orata said that “With this latest model of NMR machine, we have the capacity to tell the exact kind of substances that are present in medicinal plants, nutritive traditional vegetables, and other organic materials from living things. It is even possible for us to determine the exact poisonous substances such as aflatoxins in contaminated maize. And we as well can elucidate the compounds contained in genetically modified organisms (GMOs)”.
The NMR machine currently worth 48 millions KES, was acquired through African Development Bank (AfDB) grant, in partnership with the Ministry of Education Kenya, and supplied by RISCAN Enterprises Ltd. The NMR machine now places MMUST as a competitive research-based university in the Great Lakes Region. This is a major boost to MMUST research activities anchored in our academic programs such as Natural Products Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Crop Protection, Molecular Biology, Medicine, Environmental Sciences and Medical Laboratory Science. Moreso, the NMR machine will be the only NMR hub for building research collaborations with other institutions in Eastern and Central Africa.
