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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

Professor Tuomas Knowles

Professor of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics

Our research

We study the physical and chemical aspects of the behaviour of biopolymers and other soft systems. Much of our work has been focused on the physical aspects underlying the self-assembly of protein molecules. Self-organisation is the driving force generating complex matter in nature, and the process by which the machinery providing functionality in living systems is assembled. The goal of our research is to understand the physical and chemical factors which control the structures and dynamics of biomolecular assemblies, and the connections between the nanoscale characteristics of the component molecules and the physical properties of large-scale assemblies and their behaviour on a mesoscopic to macroscopic scale. The techniques used in our laboratory include biosensors, optical lithography, microfluidic devices and scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy. We work both with natural and synthetic polymers and our interests range from fundamental chemical physics to technological applications in material science and molecular medicine.

Watch Professor Knowles discuss his research

Take a tour of the Sir Rodney Sweetnam laboratory

Publications

Targeting nucleic acid phase transitions as a mechanism of action for antimicrobial peptides
T Sneideris, NA Erkamp, H Ausserwöger, KL Saar, TJ Welsh, D Qian, K Katsuya-Gaviria, MLLY Johncock, G Krainer, A Borodavka, TPJ Knowles
– Nature Communications
(2023)
14,
7170
(doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-42374-4)
Molecular mechanism of α-synuclein aggregation on lipid membranes revealed
AJ Dear, X Teng, SR Ball, J Lewin, RI Horne, D Clow, N Harper, K Yahya, TCT Michaels, S Linse, TPJ Knowles, X Yang, SC Brewerton, J Thomson, J Habchi, G Meisl
(2023)
(doi: 10.1101/2023.10.20.563279)
Pharmacological inhibition of α-synuclein aggregation within liquid condensates
M Vendruscolo, S Dada, Z Toprakcioglu, M Hardenberg, M Cali, L Mrugalla, O Morris, A Roentgen, T Knowles
(2023)
(doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3174399/v1)
Glutamate helps unmask the differences in driving forces for phase separation versus clustering of FET family proteins in sub-saturated solutions.
M Kar, LT Vogel, G Chauhan, H Ausserwöger, TJ Welsh, AR Kamath, TPJ Knowles, AA Hyman, CAM Seidel, RV Pappu
(2023)
(doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3252197/v1)
Ganglioside Lipids Inhibit the Aggregation of the Alzheimer’s Related Peptide Amyloid-β
Z Toprakcioglu, AK Jayaram, TPJ Knowles
(2023)
(doi: 10.1101/2023.09.10.556751)
Effects of Processing-Induced Contamination on Organic Electronic Devices.
D Simatos, IE Jacobs, I Dobryden, M Nguyen, A Savva, D Venkateshvaran, M Nikolka, J Charmet, LJ Spalek, M Gicevičius, Y Zhang, G Schweicher, DJ Howe, S Ursel, J Armitage, IB Dimov, U Kraft, W Zhang, M Alsufyani, I McCulloch, RM Owens, PM Claesson, TPJ Knowles, H Sirringhaus
– Small Methods
(2023)
7,
e2300476
(doi: 10.1002/smtd.202300476)
Thermodynamic profiles for co-translational trigger factor function
T Herling, A Cassaignau, A Wentink, Q Peter, P Kumar, T Kartanas, M Schneider, L Cabrita, J Christodoulou, T Knowles
(2023)
(doi: 10.1101/2023.08.23.554456)
Glutamate helps unmask the differences in driving forces for phase separation versus clustering of FET family proteins in sub-saturated solutions.
M Kar, LT Vogel, G Chauhan, H Ausserwöger, TJ Welsh, AR Kamath, TPJ Knowles, AA Hyman, CAM Seidel, RV Pappu
(2023)
(doi: 10.1101/2023.08.11.552963)
Single-molecule digital sizing of proteins in solution
G Krainer, RPB Jacquat, MM Schneider, TJ Welsh, J Fan, QAE Peter, EA Andrzejewska, G Šneiderienė, MA Czekalska, H Ausserwoeger, L Chai, WE Arter, KL Saar, TW Herling, TM Franzmann, V Kosmoliaptsis, S Alberti, F-U Hartl, SF Lee, TPJ Knowles
(2023)
(doi: 10.1101/2023.07.12.548675)
Self-replication of Aβ42 aggregates occurs on small and isolated fibril sites
S Curk, J Krausser, G Meisl, D Frenkel, S Linse, T Michaels, T Knowles, A Šarić
(2023)
(doi: 10.1101/2023.07.05.547777)
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Research Groups

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 336344

Email address

tpjk2@cam.ac.uk

College

St John's College

    Study at Cambridge

    About the University

    Research at Cambridge