Professor Tuomas Knowles

Professor of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics

1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry

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

Micromechanics of soft materials using microfluidics

Y Xu, H Zhu, Y Shen, APM Guttenplan, KL Saar, Y Lu, D Vigolo, LS Itzhaki, TPJ Knowles

– MRS Bulletin

(2022)

47,

119

(doi: 10.1557/s43577-022-00279-5)

Both COVID-19 infection and vaccination induce high-affinity cross-clade responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants

M Emmenegger, S Fiedler, SD Brugger, SRA Devenish, AS Morgunov, A Ilsley, F Ricci, AY Malik, T Scheier, L Batkitar, L Madrigal, M Rossi, AK Lynn, L Saleh, A von Eckardstein, TPJ Knowles, A Aguzzi

(2022)

(doi: 10.1101/2022.04.07.22273545)

Microfluidic Antibody Affinity Profiling Reveals the Role of Memory Reactivation and Cross-Reactivity in the Defense Against SARS-CoV-2

V Denninger, CK Xu, G Meisl, AS Morgunov, S Fiedler, A Ilsley, M Emmenegger, AY Malik, MA Piziorska, MM Schneider, SRA Devenish, V Kosmoliaptsis, A Aguzzi, H Fiegler, TPJ Knowles

– ACS infectious diseases

(2022)

790

(doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00486)

Surface interaction patches link non-specific binding and phase separation of antibodies

H Ausserwöger, G Krainer, T Welsh, T Sneideris, M Schneider, G Invernizzi, T Herling, N Lorenzen, T Knowles

(2022)

(doi: 10.1101/2022.03.07.483238)

Tie-lines reveal interactions driving heteromolecular condensate formation

D Qian, T Welsh, N Erkamp, S Qamar, J Nixon-Abell, G Krainer, PS George-Hyslop, T Michaels, T Knowles

(2022)

(doi: 10.1101/2022.02.22.481401)

The Pathological G51D Mutation in Alpha-Synuclein Oligomers Confers Distinct Structural Attributes and Cellular Toxicity

CK Xu, M Castellana-Cruz, SW Chen, Z Du, G Meisl, A Levin, B Mannini, LS Itzhaki, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson, N Cremades, JR Kumita

– Molecules

(2022)

27,

1293

(doi: 10.3390/molecules27041293)

Multiphase condensates from a kinetically arrested phase transition

N Erkamp, T Sneideris, H Ausserwöger, D Qian, S Qamar, J Nixon-Abell, PS George-Hyslop, J Schmit, D Weitz, TPJ Knowles

(2022)

(doi: 10.1101/2022.02.09.479538)

The C-terminal tail of α-synuclein protects against aggregate replication but is critical for oligomerization.

A Farzadfard, JN Pedersen, G Meisl, AK Somavarapu, P Alam, L Goksøyr, MA Nielsen, AF Sander, TPJ Knowles, JS Pedersen, DE Otzen

– Commun Biol

(2022)

123

(doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-03059-8)

Serological fingerprints link antiviral activity of therapeutic antibodies to affinity and concentration

S Fiedler, S Devenish, A Morgunov, A Ilsley, F Ricci, M Emmenegger, V Kosmoliaptsis, E Theel, J Mills, A Sholukh, A Aguzzi, A Iwasaki, A Lynn, T Knowles

(2022)

2022.02.03.478946

(doi: 10.1101/2022.02.03.478946)

Nanofluidic Traps by Two-Photon Fabrication for Extended Detection of Single Macromolecules and Colloids in Solution

O Vanderpoorten, AN Babar, G Krainer, RPB Jacquat, PK Challa, Q Peter, Z Toprakcioglu, CK Xu, UF Keyser, JJ Baumberg, CF Kaminski, TPJ Knowles

– ACS Applied Nano Materials

(2022)

1995

(doi: 10.1021/acsanm.1c03691)

Professor of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics

1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry

Our research

Watch Professor Knowles discuss his research

Take a tour of the Sir Rodney Sweetnam laboratory

Publications

Research Groups

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

Email address

College

About the Department

Departmental Services

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge