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

Importance of two buried salt bridges in the stability and folding pathway of barnase.
AC Tissot, S Vuilleumier, AR Fersht
Biochemistry
(1996)
35
A New Approach to the Study of Transient Protein Conformations: The Formation of a Semiburied Salt Link in the Folding Pathway of Barnase
M Oliveberg, AR Fersht
Biochemistry
(1996)
35
Rapid, electrostatically assisted association of proteins
G Schreiber, AR Fersht
Nature structural biology
(1996)
3
Toward a mechanism for GroEL center dot GroES chaperone activity: An ATPase-gated and -pulsed folding and annealing cage
FJ Corrales, AR Fersht
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(1996)
93
Structural and Energetic Responses to Cavity-Creating Mutations in Hydrophobic Cores: Observation of a Buried Water Molecule and the Hydrophilic Nature of Such Hydrophobic Cavities ‡
AM Buckle, P Cramer, AR Fersht
Biochemistry
(1996)
35
Structure of the transition state for folding of a protein derived from experiment and simulation
V Daggett, A Li, LS Itzhaki, DE Otzen, AR Fersht
J Mol Biol
(1996)
257
Thermodynamics of Transient Conformations in the Folding Pathway of Barnase:  Reorganization of the Folding Intermediate at low pH
M Oliveberg, AR Fersht
Biochemistry
(1996)
35
Formation of Electrostatic Interactions on the Protein-Folding Pathway
M Oliveberg, AR Fersht
Biochemistry
(1996)
35
Catalysis of amide proton exchange by the molecular chaperones GroEL and SecB
R Zahn, S Perrett, G Stenberg, AR Fersht
Science (New York, N.Y.)
(1996)
271
Folding and binding
KA Dill, AR Fersht
Current opinion in structural biology
(1996)
6