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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

Professor Tuomas Knowles

Professor of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics

1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry

Our research

We study the physical and chemical aspects of the behaviour of biopolymers and other soft systems. Much of our work has been focused on the physical aspects underlying the self-assembly of protein molecules. Self-organisation is the driving force generating complex matter in nature, and the process by which the machinery providing functionality in living systems is assembled. The goal of our research is to understand the physical and chemical factors which control the structures and dynamics of biomolecular assemblies, and the connections between the nanoscale characteristics of the component molecules and the physical properties of large-scale assemblies and their behaviour on a mesoscopic to macroscopic scale. The techniques used in our laboratory include biosensors, optical lithography, microfluidic devices and scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy. We work both with natural and synthetic polymers and our interests range from fundamental chemical physics to technological applications in material science and molecular medicine.

Watch Professor Knowles discuss his research

Take a tour of the Sir Rodney Sweetnam laboratory

Publications

Pharmacological inhibition of α-synuclein aggregation within liquid condensates.
ST Dada, Z Toprakcioglu, MP Cali, A Röntgen, MC Hardenberg, OM Morris, LK Mrugalla, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo
– Nature communications
(2024)
15,
3835
(doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-47585-x)
Maximum entropy determination of mammalian proteome dynamics
AJ Dear, GA Garcia, G Meisl, GA Collins, TPJ Knowles, AL Goldberg
– Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(2024)
121,
e2313107121
(doi: 10.1073/pnas.2313107121)
Tandem-repeat proteins introduce tuneable properties to engineered biomolecular condensates
TLC Ng, MP Hoare, MJ Maristany, EJ Wilde, T Sneideris, J Huertas, BK Agbetiameh, M Furukawa, JA Joseph, TPJ Knowles, R Collepardo-Guevara, LS Itzhaki, JR Kumita
(2024)
(doi: 10.1101/2024.04.16.589709)
Discovery of potent inhibitors of α-synuclein aggregation using structure-based iterative learning
RI Horne, EA Andrzejewska, P Alam, ZF Brotzakis, A Srivastava, A Aubert, M Nowinska, RC Gregory, R Staats, A Possenti, S Chia, P Sormanni, B Ghetti, B Caughey, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo
– Nature chemical biology
(2024)
20,
634
(doi: 10.1038/s41589-024-01580-x)
Selenium-silk microgels as antifungal and antibacterial agents
EG Wiita, Z Toprakcioglu, AK Jayaram, TPJ Knowles
– Nanoscale Horizons
(2024)
9,
609
(doi: 10.1039/d3nh00385j)
Design of amyloidogenic peptide traps
DD Sahtoe, EA Andrzejewska, HL Han, E Rennella, MM Schneider, G Meisl, M Ahlrichs, J Decarreau, H Nguyen, A Kang, P Levine, M Lamb, X Li, AK Bera, LE Kay, TPJ Knowles, D Baker
– Nat Chem Biol
(2024)
1
(doi: 10.1038/s41589-024-01578-5)
A Relationship between the Structures and Neurotoxic Effects of Aβ Oligomers Stabilized by Different Metal Ions
S Chia, RL Cataldi, FS Ruggeri, R Limbocker, I Condado-Morales, K Pisani, A Possenti, S Linse, TPJ Knowles, J Habchi, B Mannini, M Vendruscolo
– ACS chemical neuroscience
(2024)
15,
1125
(doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00718)
Cathepsin B Processing Is Required for the In Vivo Efficacy of Albumin-Drug Conjugates.
B Bernardim, J Conde, T Hakala, JB Becher, M Canzano, AV Vasco, TPJ Knowles, J Cameron, GJL Bernardes
– Bioconjugate Chemistry
(2024)
35,
132
(doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00478)
Self-replication of Aβ42 aggregates occurs on small and isolated fibril sites
S Curk, J Krausser, G Meisl, D Frenkel, S Linse, TCT Michaels, TPJ Knowles, A Šarić
– Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
(2024)
121,
e2220075121
(doi: 10.1073/pnas.2220075121)
Maturation-dependent changes in the size, structure and seeding capacity of Aβ42 amyloid fibrils
A Miller, S Chia, E Klimont, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo, FS Ruggeri
– Communications biology
(2024)
7,
153
(doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-05858-7)
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Research Groups

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 336344

Email address

tpjk2@cam.ac.uk

College

St John's College

    Study at Cambridge

    About the University

    Research at Cambridge