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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

The Interaction of αB-Crystallin with Mature α-Synuclein Amyloid Fibrils Inhibits Their Elongation
CA Waudby, TPJ Knowles, GL Devlin, JN Skepper, H Ecroyd, JA Carver, ME Welland, J Christodoulou, CM Dobson, S Meehan
– Biophysical journal
(2010)
98,
843
(doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2009.10.056)
Nanostructured films from hierarchical self-assembly of amyloidogenic proteins.
TPJ Knowles, TW Oppenheim, AK Buell, DY Chirgadze, ME Welland
– Nature nanotechnology
(2010)
5,
204
(doi: 10.1038/nnano.2010.26)
Methods and models in neurodegenerative and systemic protein aggregation diseases
A-C Brorsson, JR Kumita, I MacLeod, B Bolognesi, E Speretta, LM Luheshi, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson, DC Crowther
– Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark edition)
(2010)
15,
373
(doi: 10.2741/3626)
An analytical solution to the kinetics of breakable filament assembly.
TPJ Knowles, CA Waudby, GL Devlin, SIA Cohen, A Aguzzi, M Vendruscolo, EM Terentjev, ME Welland, CM Dobson
– Science (New York, N.Y.)
(2009)
326,
1533
(doi: 10.1126/science.1178250)
Strength of Nanotubes, Filaments, and Nanowires From Sonication-Induced Scission
YY Huang, TPJ Knowles, EM Terentjev
– Advanced Materials
(2009)
21,
3945
(doi: 10.1002/adma.200900498)
Fabrication and characterisation of protein fibril-elastomer composites
T Oppenheim, TPJ Knowles, SP Lacour, ME Welland
– Acta biomaterialia
(2009)
6,
1337
(doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2009.10.013)
Imaging Amyloid Fibrils within Cells Using a Se-Labelling Strategy
AE Porter, TPJ Knowles, K Muller, S Meehan, E McGuire, J Skepper, ME Welland, CM Dobson
– Journal of Molecular Biology
(2009)
392,
868
(doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.07.061)
Biosensor-based label-free assays of amyloid growth
DA White, AK Buell, CM Dobson, ME Welland, TPJ Knowles
– FEBS Letters
(2009)
583,
2587
(doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.06.008)
Position-Dependent Electrostatic Protection against Protein Aggregation
AK Buell, GG Tartaglia, NR Birkett, CA Waudby, M Vendruscolo, X Salvatella, ME Welland, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles
– Chembiochem
(2009)
10,
1309
(doi: 10.1002/cbic.200900144)
Chemical and biophysical insights into the propagation of prion strains.
J Falsig, KP Nilsson, TPJ Knowles, A Aguzzi
– HFSP journal
(2008)
2,
332
(doi: 10.2976/1.2990786)
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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