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Professor of Biological and Biomedical Chemistry

What we do...

Our research focusses on the molecular structure of biological tissues.  The bulk of structural tissues such as bone, muscle, tendon and skin, is the so-called extracellular matrix.  This extracellular material gives the tissue its essential mechanical properties, for instance the stiffness and toughness of bone, the elasticity of skin.  The molecular structure of the extracellular matrix is complex and subject to equally complex chemistry on a daily basis.  This leads to structural changes, which in ageing, in diseases such as cancer and degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis can be substantial.  Cells take their cues from the molecular structure of the extracellular matrix that surrounds them, and so their behaviour changes when the extracellular matrix structure changes.  This results in aberrant cell behaviour in cancer for instance, and imperfect tissue repair after damage in ageing.

The major paradigm in our research is that normal cell behaviour can be restored by restoring normal extracellular matrix structure. Our work aims to generate the understanding needed to drive development of new therapeutics for degenerative diseases.

You can read more about our research here.

We are funded by... 

The European Research Council, the Medcical Research Council, the British Heart Foundation, Cycle Pharmaceuticals and Cambridge Oncology.

Watch Professor Melinda Duer discuss her research

Take a two-minute tour of the Duer Lab

Publications

Incorporation of nanogels within calcite single crystals for the storage, protection and controlled release of active compounds.
O Nahi, AN Kulak, T Kress, Y-Y Kim, OG Grendal, MJ Duer, OJ Cayre, FC Meldrum
– Chemical science
(2021)
12,
9839
A 43 Ca nuclear magnetic resonance perspective on octacalcium phosphate and its hybrid derivatives.
D Laurencin, Y Li, MJ Duer, D Iuga, C Gervais, C Bonhomme
– Magn Reson Chem
(2021)
59,
1048
Pigmentation Chemistry and Radical-Based Collagen Degradation in Alkaptonuria and Osteoarthritic Cartilage
WY Chow, BP Norman, NB Roberts, LR Ranganath, C Teutloff, R Bittl, MJ Duer, H Oschkinat
– Angewandte Chemie
(2020)
132,
12035
Inside Cover: Pigmentation Chemistry and Radical‐Based Collagen Degradation in Alkaptonuria and Osteoarthritic Cartilage (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 29/2020)
WY Chow, BP Norman, NB Roberts, LR Ranganath, C Teutloff, R Bittl, MJ Duer, JA Gallagher, H Oschkinat
– Angewandte Chemie International Edition
(2020)
59,
11674
Pigmentation Chemistry and Radical‐Based Collagen Degradation in Alkaptonuria and Osteoarthritic Cartilage
WY Chow, BP Norman, NB Roberts, LR Ranganath, C Teutloff, R Bittl, MJ Duer, JA Gallagher, H Oschkinat
– Angewandte Chemie International Edition
(2020)
59,
11937
Innentitelbild: Pigmentierungschemie und radikalbasierter Kollagenabbau bei Alkaptonurie und Arthrose (Angew. Chem. 29/2020)
WY Chow, BP Norman, NB Roberts, LR Ranganath, C Teutloff, R Bittl, MJ Duer, JA Gallagher, H Oschkinat
– Angewandte Chemie
(2020)
132,
11770
DNA Damage Response: A Molecular Lynchpin in the Pathobiology of Arteriosclerotic Calcification
M Duer, AM Cobb, CM Shanahan
– Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
(2020)
40,
E193
Glycation changes molecular organization and charge distribution in type I collagen fibrils.
S Bansode, U Bashtanova, R Li, J Clark, KH Müller, A Puszkarska, I Goldberga, HH Chetwood, DG Reid, LJ Colwell, JN Skepper, CM Shanahan, G Schitter, P Mesquida, MJ Duer
– Sci Rep
(2020)
10,
3397
Pigmentation Chemistry and Radical-Based Collagen Degradation in Alkaptonuria and Osteoarthritic Cartilage
WY Chow, B Norman, N Roberts, L Ranganath, C Teutloff, R Bittl, M Duer, J Gallagher, H Oschkinat
(2020)
Pigmentation Chemistry and Radical-Based Collagen Degradation in Alkaptonuria and Osteoarthritic Cartilage
WY Chow, BP Norman, N Roberts, L Ranganath, C Teutloff, R Bittl, MJ Duer, J Gallagher, H Oschkinat
(2020)
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Head of group

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 763934 (shared)

Email address