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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

A structural ensemble of a tau-microtubule complex reveals regulatory tau phosphorylation and acetylation mechanisms
F Brotzakis, P Lindstedt, R Taylor, G Bernardes, M Vendruscolo
– ACS Central Science
(2021)
(doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-215084/v1)
A Structural Ensemble of a Tau-Microtubule Complex Reveals Regulatory Tau Phosphorylation and Acetylation Mechanisms.
ZF Brotzakis, PR Lindstedt, RJ Taylor, DJ Rinauro, NCT Gallagher, GJL Bernardes, M Vendruscolo
– ACS Central Science
(2021)
7,
1986
(doi: 10.1021/acscentsci.1c00585)
Structure-based discovery of small molecule inhibitors of the autocatalytic proliferation of α-synuclein aggregates
S Chia, ZF Brotzakis, RI Horne, A Possenti, B Mannini, R Cataldi, M Nowinska, R Staats, S Linse, TPJ Knowles, J Habchi, M Vendruscolo
(2021)
(doi: 10.1101/2021.12.05.471256)
Proliferation of Tau 304-380 Fragment Aggregates through Autocatalytic Secondary Nucleation.
DC Rodriguez Camargo, E Sileikis, S Chia, E Axell, K Bernfur, RL Cataldi, SIA Cohen, G Meisl, J Habchi, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo, S Linse
– ACS Chem Neurosci
(2021)
12,
4406
(doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00454)
Discovery of Potent Inhibitors of α-Synuclein Aggregation Using Structure-Based Iterative Learning
R Horne, E Andrzejewska, P Alam, F Brotzakis, A Srivastava, A Aubert, M Nowinska, R Gregory, R Staats, A Possenti, S Chia, P Sormanni, B Ghetti, B Caughey, T Knowles, M Vendruscolo
(2021)
2021.11.10.468009
(doi: 10.1101/2021.11.10.468009)
A small molecule stabilises the disordered native state of the Alzheimer’s Aβ peptide
T Löhr, K Kohlhoff, G Heller, C Camilloni, M Vendruscolo
(2021)
2021.11.10.468059
(doi: 10.1101/2021.11.10.468059)
An open-source automated PEG precipitation assay to measure the relative solubility of proteins with low material requirement.
M Vendruscolo, M Oeller, P Sormanni
– Scientific Reports
(2021)
11,
21932
(doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-01126-4)
Vitamin A and vitamin E metabolites comodulate amyloid-β aggregation
P Joshi, S Chia, X Yang, M Perni, J Habchi, M Vendruscolo
(2021)
2021.10.30.466561
(doi: 10.1101/2021.10.30.466561)
Surface-Catalyzed Secondary Nucleation Dominates the Generation of Toxic IAPP Aggregates.
DC Rodriguez Camargo, S Chia, J Menzies, B Mannini, G Meisl, M Lundqvist, C Pohl, K Bernfur, V Lattanzi, J Habchi, SI Cohen, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo, S Linse
– Front Mol Biosci
(2021)
8,
757425
(doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.757425)
The signal peptide of the amyloid precursor protein forms amyloid-like aggregates and enhances Aβ42 aggregation
K Gadhave, T Bhardwaj, VN Uversky, M Vendruscolo, R Giri
– Cell Reports Physical Science
(2021)
2,
100599
(doi: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2021.100599)
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Research Groups

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Telephone number

01223 763873

Email address

mv245@cam.ac.uk

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