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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

Aggregation of α-synuclein splice isoforms through a phase separation pathway.
A Röntgen, Z Toprakcioglu, ST Dada, OM Morris, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo
– Science Advances
(2025)
11,
eadq5396
(doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adq5396)
Design and sustainability of polypeptide material systems
SK Yorke, Z Yang, EG Wiita, A Kamada, TPJ Knowles, MJ Buehler
– Nature Reviews Materials
(2025)
1
(doi: 10.1038/s41578-025-00793-3)
Differential interactions determine anisotropies at interfaces of RNA-based biomolecular condensates.
NA Erkamp, M Farag, Y Qiu, D Qian, T Sneideris, T Wu, TJ Welsh, H Ausserwöger, TJ Krug, G Chauhan, DA Weitz, MD Lew, TPJ Knowles, RV Pappu
– Nature Communications
(2025)
16,
3463
(doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58736-z)
Learning the rules of peptide self-assembly through data mining with large language models
Z Yang, SK Yorke, TPJ Knowles, MJ Buehler
– Science Advances
(2025)
11,
eadv1971
(doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adv1971)
ANXA11 biomolecular condensates facilitate protein-lipid phase coupling on lysosomal membranes.
J Nixon-Abell, FS Ruggeri, S Qamar, TW Herling, MA Czekalska, Y Shen, G Wang, C King, MS Fernandopulle, T Sneideris, JL Watson, VVS Pillai, W Meadows, JW Henderson, JE Chambers, JL Wagstaff, SH Williams, H Coyle, G Šneiderienė, Y Lu, S Zhang, SJ Marciniak, SMV Freund, E Derivery, ME Ward, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, P St George-Hyslop
– Nat Commun
(2025)
16,
2814
(doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58142-5)
Extracellular phase separation mediates storage and release of thyroglobulin in the thyroid follicular lumen.
Y Yao, N Erkamp, T Sneideris, X Yang, R Scrutton, MM Schneider, CM Fischer, E Schoenmakers, N Schoenmakers, TPJ Knowles
– Commun Biol
(2025)
8,
466
(doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-07909-z)
ANXA11 biomolecular condensates facilitate protein-lipid phase coupling on lysosomal membranes
J Nixon-Abell, FS Ruggeri, S Qamar, TW Herling, MA Czekalska, Y Shen, G Wang, C King, MS Fernandopulle, T Sneideris, JL Watson, VVS Pillai, W Meadows, JW Henderson, JE Chambers, JL Wagstaff, SH Williams, H Coyle, G Šneiderienė, Y Lu, S Zhang, SJ Marciniak, SMV Freund, E Derivery, ME Ward, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, P St George-Hyslop
– Nature Communications
(2025)
16,
2814
(doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58142-5)
Extracellular phase separation mediates storage and release of thyroglobulin in the thyroid follicular lumen
Y Yao, N Erkamp, T Sneideris, X Yang, R Scrutton, MM Schneider, CM Fischer, E Schoenmakers, N Schoenmakers, TPJ Knowles
– Communications Biology
(2025)
8,
466
(doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-07909-z)
Ganglioside Lipids Inhibit the Aggregation of the Alzheimer's Amyloid-β Peptide
Z Toprakcioglu, AK Jayaram, TPJ Knowles
– RSC Chem Biol
(2025)
(doi: 10.1039/d4cb00189c)
Synapsin Condensation is Governed by Sequence-Encoded Molecular Grammars.
C Hoffmann, KM Ruff, IA Edu, MK Shinn, JV Tromm, MR King, A Pant, H Ausserwöger, JR Morgan, TPJ Knowles, RV Pappu, D Milovanovic
– Journal of molecular biology
(2025)
437,
168987
(doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2025.168987)
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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