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

Structural insights in the folding of small single-domain proteins.
S Gianni, U Mayor, AR Fersht
The Italian Journal of Biochemistry
(2003)
52
The denatured state of Engrailed Homeodomain under denaturing and native conditions.
U Mayor, JG Grossmann, NW Foster, SMV Freund, AR Fersht
Journal of Molecular Biology
(2003)
333
Rescue of mutants of the tumor suppressor p53 in cancer cells by a designed peptide.
N Issaeva, A Friedler, P Bozko, KG Wiman, AR Fersht, G Selivanova
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
(2003)
100
Unifying features in protein-folding mechanisms.
S Gianni, NR Guydosh, F Khan, TD Caldas, U Mayor, GWN White, ML DeMarco, V Daggett, AR Fersht
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(2003)
100
The Kinetic Pathway of Folding of Barnase
F Khan, JI Chuang, S Gianni, AR Fersht
Journal of Molecular Biology
(2003)
333
Crystal structure of a superstable mutant of human p53 core domain. Insights into the mechanism of rescuing oncogenic mutations.
AC Joerger, MD Allen, AR Fersht
The Journal of biological chemistry
(2003)
279
Crystal Structures of Engrailed Homeodomain Mutants: Implications for stability and dynamics
EJ Stollar, U Mayor, SC Lovell, L Federici, SMV Freund, AR Fersht, BF Luisi
The Journal of biological chemistry
(2003)
278
Rapid amyloid fiber formation from the fast-folding WW domain FBP28
N Ferguson, J Berriman, M Petrovich, TD Sharpe, JT Finch, AR Fersht
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(2003)
100
Mimicking natural evolution in vitro: an N-acetylneuraminate lyase mutant with an increased dihydrodipicolinate synthase activity.
AC Joerger, S Mayer, AR Fersht
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
(2003)
100
Kinetic Instability of p53 Core Domain Mutants
A Friedler, DB Veprintsev, LO Hansson, AR Fersht
The Journal of biological chemistry
(2003)
278