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

Folding and binding - Editorial overview
KA Dill, AR Fersht
CURR OPIN STRUC BIOL
(1996)
6
Pathways of protein folding
AR Fersht
PROG BIOPHYS MOL BIO
(1996)
65
Folding & design: Introduction to a new journal
AR Fersht, FE Cohen
FOLDING & DESIGN
(1996)
1
Folding & Design: introduction to a new journal
AR Fersht, FE Cohen
Folding and Design
(1996)
1
Conformational pathway of the polypeptide chain of chymotrypsin inhibitor-2 growing from its N terminus in vitro. Parallels with the protein folding pathway.
G de Prat Gay, J Ruiz-Sanz, JL Neira, FJ Corrales, DE Otzen, AG Ladurner, AR Fersht
Journal of Molecular Biology
(1995)
254
Perturbed pKA-values in the denatured states of proteins.
YJ Tan, M Oliveberg, B Davis, AR Fersht
J Mol Biol
(1995)
254
The Structure of the Transition State for Folding of Chymotrypsin Inhibitor 2 Analysed by Protein Engineering Methods: Evidence for a Nucleation-condensation Mechanism for Protein Folding
LS Itzhaki, DE Otzen, AR Fersht
J Mol Biol
(1995)
254
A Comparison of the pH, Urea, and Temperature-denatured States of Barnase by Heteronuclear NMR: Implications for the Initiation of Protein Folding
VL Arcus, S Vuilleumier, SM Freund, M Bycroft, AR Fersht
Journal of molecular biology
(1995)
254
Search for nucleation sites in smaller fragments of chymotrypsin inhibitor 2
LS Itzhaki, JL Neira, J Ruiz-Sanz, G de Prat Gay, AR Fersht
Journal of molecular biology
(1995)
254
Optimization of rates of protein folding: the nucleation-condensation mechanism and its implications.
AR Fersht
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
(1995)
92