KSOOTrace

Program description

The KSOOTrace program is being developed to control the combination of a CCD-based spectrometer and analogue input system. Currently, the program supports an Ocean Optics HR2000 or USB2000 spectrometer plus an E-series National Instrument multi-function card.

The first application of this system will be to monitor the mechanism of binding of a ligand to a haem protein during enzyme inhibition. The molecular details of how physiological (and pathophysiological) levels of nitric oxide (NO) control mitochondrial oxygen consumption will be studied by simultaneously measuring absorbance changes and inhibitor (NO) and substrate (O₂) levels. During inhibition NO and O₂ levels are not constant and need to be monitored continuously. This system allows a defined spectral change to be matched to a defined substrate/inhibitor concentration. See Prof. Chris Cooper's website for further details of this research.

Data acquisition by KSOOTrace occurs through separate threads of operation from the user interface. This means that the user can make changes to the program settings without interrupting acquisition.