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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

Structure-based prediction of methyl chemical shifts in proteins

AB Sahakyan, WF Vranken, A Cavalli, M Vendruscolo

– Journal of Biomolecular NMR

(2011)

50,

331

(doi: 10.1007/s10858-011-9524-2)

Structure-based prediction of methyl chemical shifts in proteins.

AB Sahakyan, WF Vranken, A Cavalli, M Vendruscolo

– Journal of Biomolecular NMR

(2011)

50,

331

(doi: 10.1007/s10858-011-9524-2)

Excited-state control of protein activity.

M Vendruscolo

– J Mol Biol

(2011)

412,

153

(doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2011.07.047)

Using chemical shifts to determine structural changes in proteins upon complex formation.

A Cavalli, RW Montalvao, M Vendruscolo

– J Phys Chem B

(2011)

115,

9491

(doi: 10.1021/jp202647q)

Nucleated polymerisation in the presence of pre-formed seed filaments

SIA Cohen, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles

(2011)

(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1107.1454)

The iFly tracking system for an automated locomotor and behavioural analysis of drosophila melanogaster

KJ Kohlhoff, TR Jahn, DA Lomas, CM Dobson, DC Crowther, M Vendruscolo

– Integr Biol (Camb)

(2011)

3,

755

(doi: 10.1039/c0ib00149j)

The statistical theory of allostery

M Vendruscolo

– Nature Chemical Biology

(2011)

7,

411

(doi: 10.1038/nchembio.603)

¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N resonance assignments of human muscle acylphosphatase

G Fusco, A De Simone, S-TD Hsu, F Bemporad, M Vendruscolo, F Chiti, CM Dobson

– Biomol NMR Assign

(2011)

6,

1

(doi: 10.1007/s12104-011-9318-1)

Asymmetric folding pathways and transient misfolding in a coarse-grained model of proteins

K Wolff, M Vendruscolo, M Porto

– EPL (Europhysics Letters)

(2011)

94,

48005

(doi: 10.1209/0295-5075/94/48005)

Detection of early locomotor abnormalities in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer's disease

TR Jahn, KJ Kohlhoff, M Scott, GG Tartaglia, DA Lomas, CM Dobson, M Vendruscolo, DC Crowther

– Journal of Neuroscience Methods

(2011)

197,

186

(doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2011.01.026)