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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

Professor Tuomas Knowles

Portrait of tpjk2

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

Interactions of α-synuclein oligomers with lipid membranes.
G Musteikytė, AK Jayaram, CK Xu, M Vendruscolo, G Krainer, TPJ Knowles
– Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes
(2021)
1863,
183536
(DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183536)
Reentrant liquid condensate phase of proteins is stabilized by hydrophobic and non-ionic interactions
G Krainer, TJ Welsh, JA Joseph, JR Espinosa, S Wittmann, E de Csilléry, A Sridhar, Z Toprakcioglu, G Gudiškytė, MA Czekalska, WE Arter, J Guillén-Boixet, TM Franzmann, S Qamar, PS George-Hyslop, AA Hyman, R Collepardo-Guevara, S Alberti, TPJ Knowles
– Nature communications
(2021)
12,
1085
(DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21181-9)
One-Step Generation of Multisomes from Lipid-Stabilized Double Emulsions.
MA Czekalska, AMJ Jacobs, Z Toprakcioglu, L Kong, KN Baumann, H Gang, G Zubaite, R Ye, B Mu, A Levin, WTS Huck, TPJ Knowles
– ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
(2021)
13,
6739
(DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c16019)
Infrared Nanospectroscopy Reveals the Molecular Interaction Fingerprint of an Aggregation Inhibitor with Single Ab42 Oligomers
FS Ruggeri, J Habchi, S Chia, RI Horne, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles
– Nature communications
(2021)
12,
688
(DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20782-0)
Label-Free Protein Analysis Using Liquid Chromatography with Gravimetric Detection
T Kartanas, A Levin, Z Toprakcioglu, T Scheidt, TA Hakala, J Charmet, TPJ Knowles
– Analytical Chemistry
(2021)
93,
2848
(DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04149)
Publisher Correction: A dopamine metabolite stabilizes neurotoxic amyloid-β oligomers
R Cataldi, S Chia, K Pisani, FS Ruggeri, CK Xu, T Šneideris, M Perni, S Sarwat, P Joshi, JR Kumita, S Linse, J Habchi, TPJ Knowles, B Mannini, CM Dobson, M Vendruscolo
– Communications Biology
(2021)
4,
154
(DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01680-7)
In situ kinetic measurements of α-synuclein aggregation reveal large population of short-lived oligomers.
E Zurlo, P Kumar, G Meisl, AJ Dear, D Mondal, MMAE Claessens, TPJ Knowles, M Huber
– PloS one
(2021)
16,
e0245548
(DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245548)
A dopamine metabolite stabilizes neurotoxic amyloid-β oligomers
R Cataldi, S Chia, K Pisani, FS Ruggeri, CK Xu, T Šneideris, M Perni, S Sarwat, P Joshi, JR Kumita, S Linse, J Habchi, TPJ Knowles, B Mannini, CM Dobson, M Vendruscolo
– Communications Biology
(2021)
4,
19
(DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01490-3)
Correction: Correction: Multi-scale microporous silica microcapsules from gas-in water-in oil emulsions.
Z Toprakcioglu, TA Hakala, A Levin, CFW Becker, GJL Bernardes, TPJ Knowles
– Soft Matter
(2021)
17,
201
(DOI: 10.1039/d0sm90246b)
Environmental Control of Amyloid Polymorphism by Modulation of Hydrodynamic Stress.
J Zhou, L Venturelli, L Keiser, SK Sekatskii, F Gallaire, S Kasas, G Longo, TPJ Knowles, FS Ruggeri, G Dietler
– ACS nano
(2020)
15,
944
(DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c07570)
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Research Groups

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 336344

Email address

tpjk2@cam.ac.uk

College

St John's College

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    About the University

    Research at Cambridge