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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

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

Exciton Coupling of Phenylalanine Reveals Conformational Changes of Cationic Peptides
C Bortolini, L Liu, SV Hoffmann, NC Jones, TPJ Knowles, M Dong
– ChemistrySelect
(2017)
2,
2476
Inhibition of α-Synuclein Fibril Elongation by Hsp70 Is Governed by a Kinetic Binding Competition between α-Synuclein Species
FA Aprile, P Arosio, G Fusco, SW Chen, JR Kumita, A Dhulesia, P Tortora, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson, N Cremades
– Biochemistry
(2017)
56,
1177
Correction for Perni et al., A natural product inhibits the initiation of α-synuclein aggregation and suppresses its toxicity
M Perni, C Galvagnion, A Maltsev, G Meisl, MBD Mueller, PK Challa, JB Kirkegaard, P Flagmeier, SIA Cohen, R Cascella, SW Chen, R Limboker, P Sormanni, GT Heller, FA Aprile, N Cremades, C Cecchi, F Chiti, EAA Nollen, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo, A Bax, M Zasloff, CM Dobson
– Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
(2017)
114,
e2543
Acceleration of α-synuclein aggregation
R Gaspar, G Meisl, AK Buell, L Young, CF Kaminski, TPJ Knowles, E Sparr, S Linse
– Amyloid : the international journal of experimental and clinical investigation : the official journal of the International Society of Amyloidosis
(2017)
24,
20
Physical principles of filamentous protein self-assembly kinetics.
TCT Michaels, LX Liu, G Meisl, TPJ Knowles
– Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal
(2017)
29,
153002
A natural product inhibits the initiation of α-synuclein aggregation and suppresses its toxicity.
M Perni, C Galvagnion, A Maltsev, G Meisl, MBD Müller, PK Challa, JB Kirkegaard, P Flagmeier, SIA Cohen, R Cascella, SW Chen, R Limboker, P Sormanni, GT Heller, FA Aprile, N Cremades, C Cecchi, F Chiti, EAA Nollen, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo, A Bax, M Zasloff, CM Dobson
– Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
(2017)
114,
e1009
Attenuating the Toxicity of Amyloid-Beta Aggregation with Specific Species
R Limbocker, B Mannini, M Perni, S Chia, G Heller, FS Ruggeri, J Habchi, G Meisl, PK Challa, M Zasloff, TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson
– Biophysical Journal
(2017)
112,
494a
Secondary nucleation of monomers on fibril surface dominates $\alpha$-synuclein aggregation and provides autocatalytic amyloid amplification
R Gaspar, G Meisl, AK Buell, L Young, CF Kaminski, TPJ Knowles, E Sparr, S Linse
– Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics
(2017)
50,
e6
On-chip label-free protein analysis with downstream electrodes for direct removal of electrolysis products
KL Saar, Y Zhang, T Müller, CP Kumar, S Devenish, A Lynn, U Łapińska, X Yang, S Linse, TPJ Knowles
– Lab on a chip
(2017)
18,
162
Evidence for self-replication of Alzheimer-associated Aβ42 amyloid along the sides of fibrils
M Tornquist, R Cukalevski, U Weininger, G Meisl, TPJ Knowles, T Leiding, M Akke, S Linse
– EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS
(2017)
46,
S242
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Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 336344

Email address

tpjk2@cam.ac.uk