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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 High Power-Density Mediator-Free Microfluidic Biophotovoltaic Device for Cyanobacterial Cells
P Bombelli, T Müller, TW Herling, CJ Howe, TPJ Knowles
(2014)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1411.5948)
Dry-Mass Sensing for Microfluidics
T Müller, DA White, TPJ Knowles
(2014)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1411.5269)
Multiphase Protein Microgelsa
U Shimanovich, Y Song, J Brujic, HC Shum, TPJ Knowles
– Macromolecular bioscience
(2014)
15,
501
(doi: 10.1002/mabi.201400366)
Ostwald's rule of stages governs structural transitions and morphology of dipeptide supramolecular polymers.
A Levin, TO Mason, L Adler-Abramovich, AK Buell, G Meisl, C Galvagnion, Y Bram, SA Stratford, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles, E Gazit
– Nature Communications
(2014)
5,
5219
(doi: 10.1038/ncomms6219)
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
(2014)
5,
1
(doi: 10.1002/aenm.201401299)
Interaction of the Molecular Chaperone DNAJB6 with Growing Amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ42) Aggregates Leads to Sub-stoichiometric Inhibition of Amyloid Formation*
C Månsson, P Arosio, R Hussein, HH Kampinga, RM Hashem, WC Boelens, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles, S Linse, C Emanuelsson
– Journal of Biological Chemistry
(2014)
289,
31066
(doi: 10.1074/jbc.m114.595124)
The physical chemistry of the amyloid phenomenon: thermodynamics and kinetics of filamentous protein aggregation
AK Buell, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles
– Essays in biochemistry
(2014)
56,
11
(doi: 10.1042/BSE0560011)
Easyworm: An open-source software tool to determine the mechanical properties of worm-like chains
G Lamour, JB Kirkegaard, H Li, TP Knowles, J Gsponer
– Source Code for Biology and Medicine
(2014)
9,
16
(doi: 10.1186/1751-0473-9-16)
Differences in nucleation behavior underlie the contrasting aggregation kinetics of the Aβ40 and Aβ42 peptides
G Meisl, X Yang, E Hellstrand, B Frohm, JB Kirkegaard, SIA Cohen, CM Dobson, S Linse, TPJ Knowles
– Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
(2014)
111,
9384
(doi: 10.1073/pnas.1401564111)
The amyloid state and its association with protein misfolding diseases (vol 15, pg 384, 2014)
TPJ Knowles, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson
– Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
(2014)
15,
496
(doi: 10.1038/nrm3826)
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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