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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

Professor of Biophysics

Our research

In the last 15 years our research has been focused on the development of methods of characterising the structure, dynamics and interactions of proteins in previously inaccessible states. These methods are based on the use of experimental data, in particular from nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, as structural restraints in molecular dynamics simulations. Through this approach it is possible to obtain information about a variety of protein conformations, as for example those populated during the folding process, and about protein interactions in complex environments, including those generating aggregate species that are associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Application to neurodegenerative diseases

More recently, these studies have led us to investigate the physico-chemical principles of proteins homeostasis and their application to the development of therapeutic strategies against neurodegenerative diseases. Starting from the observation that proteins are expressed in the cell at levels close to their solubility limits, we are developing approaches to prevent or delay misfolding disorders based on the enhancement of our quality control mechanisms against protein aggregation.

Watch Professor Vendruscolo discuss his research

Take a tour of the Una Finlay Laboratory in the Centre for Misfolding Diseases

Publications

Thermodynamic and kinetic design principles for amyloid-aggregation inhibitors
TCT Michaels, A Šarić, G Meisl, GT Heller, S Curk, P Arosio, S Linse, CM Dobson, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles
– Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
(2020)
117,
24251
Trodusquemine displaces protein misfolded oligomers from cell membranes and abrogates their cytotoxicity through a generic mechanism
R Limbocker, B Mannini, FS Ruggeri, R Cascella, CK Xu, M Perni, S Chia, SW Chen, J Habchi, A Bigi, RP Kreiser, AK Wright, JA Albright, T Kartanas, JR Kumita, N Cremades, M Zasloff, C Cecchi, TPJ Knowles, F Chiti, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson
– Communications biology
(2020)
3,
435
Kinetic analysis reveals the rates and mechanisms of protein aggregation in a multicellular organism
T Sinnige, G Meisl, T Michaels, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, R Morimoto
(2020)
2020.08.13.249862
Direct measurement of lipid membrane disruption connects kinetics and toxicity of Aβ42 aggregation
P Flagmeier, S De, TCT Michaels, X Yang, AJ Dear, C Emanuelsson, M Vendruscolo, S Linse, D Klenerman, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson
– Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
(2020)
27,
886
Rationally Designed Antibodies as Research Tools to Study the Structure–Toxicity Relationship of Amyloid-β Oligomers
R Limbocker, B Mannini, R Cataldi, S Chhangur, AK Wright, RP Kreiser, JA Albright, S Chia, J Habchi, P Sormanni, JR Kumita, FS Ruggeri, CM Dobson, F Chiti, FA Aprile, M Vendruscolo
– Int J Mol Sci
(2020)
21,
E4542
Infrared Nanospectroscopy Reveals the Molecular Interaction Fingerprint of an Aggregation Inhibitor with Single Aβ42 Oligomers
FS Ruggeri, J Habchi, S Chia, M Vendruscolo, T Knowles
(2020)
Reduced proteasome activity in the aging brain results in ribosome stoichiometry loss and aggregation.
E Kelmer Sacramento, JM Kirkpatrick, M Mazzetto, M Baumgart, A Bartolome, S Di Sanzo, C Caterino, M Sanguanini, N Papaevgeniou, M Lefaki, D Childs, S Bagnoli, E Terzibasi Tozzini, D Di Fraia, N Romanov, PH Sudmant, W Huber, N Chondrogianni, M Vendruscolo, A Cellerino, A Ori
– Mol Syst Biol
(2020)
16,
e9596
Rational design of a conformation-specific antibody for the quantification of Aβ oligomers
FA Aprile, P Sormanni, M Podpolny, S Chhangur, L-M Needham, FS Ruggeri, M Perni, R Limbocker, GT Heller, T Sneideris, T Scheidt, B Mannini, J Habchi, SF Lee, PC Salinas, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson, M Vendruscolo
– Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
(2020)
117,
13509
Single molecule secondary structure determination of proteins through infrared absorption nanospectroscopy
FS Ruggeri, B Mannini, R Schmid, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles
– Nat Commun
(2020)
11,
2945
Lipid membranes from naked mole-rat brain lipids are cholesterol-rich, highly phase-separated, and sensitive to amyloid-induced damage
D Frankel, M Davies, B Bhushan, Y Kulaberoglu, P Urriola-Munoz, J Bertrand-Michel, MR Pergande, AA Smith, S Preet, TJ Park, M Vendruscolo, K Rankin, SM Cologna, JR Kumita, N Cenac, ES John Smith
(2020)
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Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 763873

Email address

mv245@cam.ac.uk