Our major research programme concerns the folding, stability and activity of proteins. We apply a broad multi-disciplinary approach that combines methods and ideas of molecular biology and physical-organic chemistry. We use techniques including protein engineering, DNA cloning, sequencing and mutagenesis, cell culture, gene and peptide synthesis, spectroscopy, rapid reaction techniques, multi-dimensional NMR (we have a 500, 600, 700 and an 800 MHz spectrometers) and x-ray protein crystallography.

Current major projects include: protein folding, misfolding and disease; drug discovery; and structure-activity relationships of proteins involved in cancer and disease.

Although now emeritus, I am still fully active in research with long term funding, including an MRC Programme Grant.

Publications

The novel p53 isoform "delta p53" is a misfolded protein and does not bind the p21 promoter site.
MM García-Alai, H Tidow, E Natan, FM Townsley, DB Veprintsev, AR Fersht
Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society
(2009)
17
Human full-length Securin is a natively unfolded protein.
N Sánchez-Puig, DB Veprintsev, AR Fersht
Protein Science
(2009)
14
Physical-organic molecular biology: pathway and stability of protein folding
AR Fersht, A Matouschek, M Bycroft, JT Kellis, L Serrano
Pure and Applied Chemistry
(2009)
63
Chemical basis of biological specificity
AR Fersht
Pure and Applied Chemistry
(2009)
54
Folding of barstar C40A/C82A/P27A and catalysis of the peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerization by human cytosolic cyclophilin (Cyp18).
R Golbik, G Fischer, AR Fersht
Protein Sci
(2008)
8
Design of highly stable functional GroEL minichaperones
Q Wang, AM Buckle, NW Foster, CM Johnson, AR Fersht
Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society
(2008)
8
Real-time NMR studies on a transient folding intermediate of barstar.
TR Killick, SM Freund, AR Fersht
Protein Science
(2008)
8
The effects of disulfide bonds on the denatured state of barnase
J Clarke, AM Hounslow, CJ Bond, AR Fersht, V Daggett
Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society
(2008)
9
Downhill versus Barrier-Limited Folding of BBL 2: Mechanistic Insights from Kinetics of Folding Monitored by Independent Tryptophan Probes
H Neuweiler, TD Sharpe, CM Johnson, DP Teufel, N Ferguson, AR Fersht
Journal of molecular biology
(2008)
387
Interfaces: two worlds unite.
J-M Lehn, AR Fersht
Chembiochem A European Journal of Chemical Biology
(2008)
10