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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

Professor Michele Vendruscolo

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

Natural aminosterols inhibit NMDA receptors with low nanomolar potency
G Fani, E Coppi, S Errico, F Cherchi, M Gennari, D Barbut, M Vendruscolo, M Zasloff, AM Pugliese, F Chiti
– FEBS Journal
(2025)
(doi: 10.1111/febs.70072)
ANXA11 biomolecular condensates facilitate protein-lipid phase coupling on lysosomal membranes.
J Nixon-Abell, FS Ruggeri, S Qamar, TW Herling, MA Czekalska, Y Shen, G Wang, C King, MS Fernandopulle, T Sneideris, JL Watson, VVS Pillai, W Meadows, JW Henderson, JE Chambers, JL Wagstaff, SH Williams, H Coyle, G Šneiderienė, Y Lu, S Zhang, SJ Marciniak, SMV Freund, E Derivery, ME Ward, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, P St George-Hyslop
– Nat Commun
(2025)
16,
2814
(doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58142-5)
ANXA11 biomolecular condensates facilitate protein-lipid phase coupling on lysosomal membranes
J Nixon-Abell, FS Ruggeri, S Qamar, TW Herling, MA Czekalska, Y Shen, G Wang, C King, MS Fernandopulle, T Sneideris, JL Watson, VVS Pillai, W Meadows, JW Henderson, JE Chambers, JL Wagstaff, SH Williams, H Coyle, G Šneiderienė, Y Lu, S Zhang, SJ Marciniak, SMV Freund, E Derivery, ME Ward, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, P St George-Hyslop
– Nature Communications
(2025)
16,
2814
(doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58142-5)
The α-Synuclein Proteostasis Network and its Translational Applications in Parkinson’s disease
CM Lim, M Vendruscolo
(2025)
(doi: 10.1101/2025.03.17.643594)
Design of Tau Aggregation Inhibitors Using Iterative Machine Learning and a Polymorph-Specific Brain-Seeded Fibril Amplification Assay
A Santambrogio, RI Horne, MA Metrick, ZF Brotzakis, D Rinauro, E Vourkou, K Papanikolopoulou, EMC Skoulakis, S Linse, B Caughey, M Vendruscolo
(2025)
(doi: 10.1101/2025.03.09.642189)
Detection of protein oligomers with nanopores 
RI Horne, SE Sandler, M Vendruscolo, UF Keyser
– Nat Rev Chem
(2025)
9,
224
(doi: 10.1038/s41570-025-00694-7)
PLUMED Tutorials: A collaborative, community-driven learning ecosystem
GA Tribello, M Bonomi, G Bussi, C Camilloni, BI Armstrong, A Arsiccio, S Aureli, F Ballabio, M Bernetti, L Bonati, SGH Brookes, ZF Brotzakis, R Capelli, M Ceriotti, K-T Chan, P Cossio, S Dasetty, D Donadio, B Ensing, AL Ferguson, G Fraux, JD Gale, FL Gervasio, T Giorgino, NSM Herringer, GM Hocky, SE Hoff, M Invernizzi, O Languin-Cattoën, V Leone, V Limongelli, O Lopez-Acevedo, F Marinelli, P Febrer Martinez, M Masetti, S Mehdi, A Michaelides, MH Murtada, M Parrinello, PM Piaggi, A Pietropaolo, F Pietrucci, S Pipolo, C Pritchard, P Raiteri, S Raniolo, D Rapetti, V Rizzi, J Rydzewski, M Salvalaglio, C Schran, A Seal, A Shayesteh Zadeh, TFD Silva, V Spiwok, G Stirnemann, D Sucerquia, P Tiwary, O Valsson, M Vendruscolo, GA Voth, AD White, J Wu
– The Journal of Chemical Physics
(2025)
162,
092501
(doi: 10.1063/5.0251501)
AlphaFold prediction of structural ensembles of disordered proteins.
ZF Brotzakis, S Zhang, MH Murtada, M Vendruscolo
– Nature Communications
(2025)
16,
1632
(doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-56572-9)
Design of Protein Sequences with Precisely Tuned Kinetic Properties
ZF Brotzakis, M Vendruscolo, G Skretas
(2025)
(doi: 10.1101/2025.02.13.638027)
Lipid-induced condensate formation from the Alzheimer's Aβ peptide triggers amyloid aggregation
G Šneiderienė, A González Díaz, SD Adhikari, J Wei, T Michaels, T Šneideris, S Linse, M Vendruscolo, K Garai, TPJ Knowles
– Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(2025)
122,
e2401307122
(doi: 10.1073/pnas.2401307122)
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Research Groups

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Telephone number

01223 763873

Email address

mv245@cam.ac.uk

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