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Duer Research Group

Professor Melinda Duer

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

Decoupling residual dipolar coupling between 13C and14N spin pairs in CPMAS NMR
RM Orr, MJ Duer
– Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
(2006)
30,
130
(doi: 10.1016/j.ssnmr.2006.06.002)
Structural information from quadrupolar nuclei in solid state NMR
SE Ashbrook, MJ Duer
– Concepts in Magnetic Resonance Part A: Bridging Education and Research
(2006)
28,
183
(doi: 10.1002/cmr.a.20053)
Recoupling of chemical-shift anisotropy powder patterns in MAS NMR.
RM Orr, MJ Duer
– Journal of magnetic resonance (San Diego, Calif. : 1997)
(2006)
181,
1
(doi: 10.1016/j.jmr.2006.03.010)
Applications of the CSA-amplified PASS experiment.
RM Orr, MJ Duer
– Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
(2006)
30,
1
(doi: 10.1016/j.ssnmr.2005.12.001)
Solid-state NMR studies of molecular motion
MJ Duer
– ANNUAL REPORTS ON NMR SPECTROSCOPY, VOL 59
(2006)
59,
41
(doi: 10.1016/S0066-4103(06)59002-7)
Inverse Coordination of an Ionic Lattice by a Metal Host
MJ Duer, F García, RA Kowenicki, V Naseri, M McPartlin, ML Stead, RS Stein, DS Wright
– Angewandte Chemie
(2005)
117,
5875
(doi: 10.1002/ange.200501198)
Inverse coordination of an ionic lattice by a metal host
MJ Duer, F García, RA Kowenicki, V Naseri, M McPartlin, ML Stead, RS Stein, DS Wright
– Angewandte Chemie International Edition
(2005)
44,
5729
(doi: 10.1002/anie.200501198)
Correlating fast and slow chemical shift spinning sideband patterns in solid-state NMR
RM Orr, MJ Duer, SE Ashbrook
– J Magn Reson
(2005)
174,
301
(doi: 10.1016/j.jmr.2005.03.001)
Investigation of the Nature of the Protein−Mineral Interface in Bone by Solid-State NMR
C Jaeger, NS Groom, EA Bowe, A Horner, ME Davies, RC Murray, MJ Duer
– Chemistry of Materials
(2005)
17,
3059
(doi: 10.1021/cm050492k)
Rhodium(I) and palladium(II) complexes with the Schiff base 2,2'-bis((4S)-4-benzyl-2-oxazoline)
MD Jones, FAA Paz, JE Davies, R Raja, M Duer, J Klinowski, BFG Johnson
– Inorganica Chimica Acta
(2004)
357,
3351
(doi: 10.1016/j.ica.2004.03.034)
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Head of group

Research Interest Groups

Materials
Biological

Telephone number

01223 763934 (shared)

Email address

College

Robinson College

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge