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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

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

Autocatalytic amplification of Alzheimer-associated Aβ42 peptide aggregation in human cerebrospinal fluid.
R Frankel, M Törnquist, G Meisl, O Hansson, U Andreasson, H Zetterberg, K Blennow, B Frohm, T Cedervall, TPJ Knowles, T Leiding, S Linse
– Communications biology
(2019)
2,
365
(doi: 10.1038/s42003-019-0612-2)
Autocatalytic amplification of Alzheimer-associated Aβ42 peptide aggregation in human cerebrospinal fluid.
R Frankel, M Törnquist, G Meisl, O Hansson, U Andreasson, H Zetterberg, K Blennow, B Frohm, T Cedervall, TPJ Knowles, T Leiding, S Linse
– Communications biology
(2019)
2,
365
(doi: 10.1038/s42003-019-0612-2)
RNA Granules Hitchhike on Lysosomes for Long-Distance Transport, Using Annexin A11 as a Molecular Tether
Y-C Liao, M Fernandopulle, G Wang, H Choi, L Hao, CM Drerup, S Qamar, J Nixon-Abell, Y Shen, W Meadows, M Vendruscolo, T Knowles, M Nelson, M Czekalska, G Musteikyte, R Patel, C Stephens, A Pasolli, L Forrest, PS George-Hyslop, J Lippincott-Schwartz, ME Ward
– Cell
(2019)
179,
147
(doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.08.050)
Characterizing individual protein aggregates by infrared nanospectroscopy and atomic force microscopy
FS Ruggeri, T Šneideris, S Chia, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles
– Journal of Visualized Experiments
(2019)
2019,
ARTN e60108
(doi: 10.3791/60108)
Scalable integration of nano-, and microfluidics with hybrid two-photon lithography.
O Vanderpoorten, Q Peter, PK Challa, UF Keyser, J Baumberg, CF Kaminski, TPJ Knowles
– Microsyst Nanoeng
(2019)
5,
40
(doi: 10.1038/s41378-019-0080-3)
Enhancement of the Anti-Aggregation Activity of a Molecular Chaperone Using a Rationally Designed Post-Translational Modification
PR Lindstedt, FA Aprile, MJ Matos, M Perni, JB Bertoldo, B Bernardim, Q Peter, G Jiménez-Osés, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson, F Corzana, M Vendruscolo, GJL Bernardes
– ACS Cent Sci
(2019)
5,
1417
(doi: 10.1021/acscentsci.9b00467)
Small molecule sequestration of amyloid-β as a drug discovery strategy for Alzheimer’s disease
G Heller, F Aprile, T Michaels, R Limbocker, M Perni, FS Ruggeri, B Mannini, T Löhr, M Bonomi, C Camilloni, A De Simone, I Felli, R Pierattelli, T Knowles, C Dobson, M Vendruscolo
(2019)
729392
(doi: 10.1101/729392)
Soluble aggregates present in cerebrospinal fluid change in size and mechanism of toxicity during Alzheimer's disease progression.
S De, DR Whiten, FS Ruggeri, C Hughes, M Rodrigues, DI Sideris, CG Taylor, FA Aprile, S Muyldermans, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo, C Bryant, K Blennow, I Skoog, S Kern, H Zetterberg, D Klenerman
– Acta Neuropathologica Communications
(2019)
7,
120
(doi: 10.1186/s40478-019-0777-4)
Clathrin-Inspired Coating and Stabilization of Liposomes by DNA Self-Assembly
KN Baumann, L Piantanida, J García-Nafría, D Sobota, K Voïtchovsky, TPJ Knowles, S HERNANDEZ AINSA
(2019)
(doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv.8859017)
Clathrin-Inspired Coating and Stabilization of Liposomes by DNA Self-Assembly
K Baumann, L Piantanida, J García-Nafría, D Sobota, K Voïtchovsky, T Knowles, SILVIA HERNANDEZ AINSA
(2019)
(doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv.8859017.v1)
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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