Chemical Biology

The Chemical Biology section is focused on understanding and modifying biological systems from a chemical perspective. Research in the section crosses the traditional boundaries, ranging from using physical methods to characterize and understand biological assemblies, through to the discovery of molecules to inhibit biological processes. Our work may be broadly divided into five main areas:

  • We have a strong interest in the development and application of computer-based models of biological systems, with an increasing emphasis on the design of simplified representations allowing the modelling of large-scale functional assemblies.
  • In the area of physical characterization, we have considerable strength in developing and applying NMR to the determination of protein structure. We also use mass spectrometry not only to characterize organic molecules, but also to probe the composition of biological systems, and particularly of membranes.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms of enzymes we are able to express proteins and their mutants, perform directed evolution experiments, and study their kinetics. We have particular expertise in working with air sensitive, radical based enzymes, and protein-DNA complexes.
  • To inhibit biological processes, for example the progress of disease, we have developed powerful methodologies for the high-throughput screening of ligands for protein-protein interactions.
  • We are working at the forefront of synthetic biology, an emerging field involving the design and construction of new biological entities. Of particular note, we have made transcriptionally competent model cell nuclei based on mixtures of lipids and DNA.

Our research is by its very nature interdisciplinary, and we collaborate extensively both with other academic scientists, and with industry.