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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

A microfluidic platform for quantitative measurements of effective protein charges and single ion binding in solution.
TW Herling, P Arosio, T Müller, S Linse, TPJ Knowles
– Phys Chem Chem Phys
(2015)
17,
12161
(doi: 10.1039/c5cp00746a)
Lipid vesicles trigger α-synuclein aggregation by stimulating primary nucleation
C Galvagnion, AK Buell, G Meisl, TCT Michaels, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson
– Nature Chemical Biology
(2015)
11,
229
(doi: 10.1038/nchembio.1750)
Rapid sizing of proteins in complex solutions
P Arosio, T Muller, L Rajah, EV Yates, FA Aprile, SIA Cohen, DA White, TW Herling, E de Genst, S Linse, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles
– EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS
(2015)
44,
S49
(link to publication)
Lipid vesicles trigger α-synuclein aggregation by stimulating primary nucleation
C Galvagnion, AK Buell, G Meisl, TC Michaels, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson
– EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS
(2015)
44,
S101
(link to publication)
A high power-density, mediator-free, microfluidic biophotovoltaic device for cyanobacterial cells
P Bombelli, T Müller, TW Herling, CJ Howe, TPJ Knowles
– Advanced Energy Materials
(2015)
5,
(doi: 10.1002/aenm.201401299)
Kinetic theory of protein filament growth: Self-consistent methods and perturbative techniques
TCT Michaels, TPJ Knowles
– International Journal of Modern Physics B
(2014)
29,
1530002
(doi: 10.1142/S0217979215300029)
Crucial role of non-specific interactions in amyloid nucleation
A Šarić, YC Chebaro, TPJ Knowles, D Frenkel
(2014)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1412.0897)
Crucial role of nonspecific interactions in amyloid nucleation.
A Šarić, YC Chebaro, TPJ Knowles, D Frenkel
– Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(2014)
111,
17869
(doi: 10.1073/pnas.1410159111)
Tetracycline Nanoparticles as Antibacterial and Gene‐Silencing Agents
U Shimanovich, A Lipovsky, D Eliaz, S Zigdon, TPJ Knowles, Y Nitzan, S Michaeli, A Gedanken
– Adv Healthc Mater
(2014)
4,
723
(doi: 10.1002/adhm.201400631)
Dry-mass sensing for microfluidics
T Müller, DA White, TPJ Knowles
– Applied Physics Letters
(2014)
105,
214101
(doi: 10.1063/1.4902131)
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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