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

Small-molecule sequestration of amyloid-β as a drug discovery strategy for Alzheimer's disease.

GT Heller, FA Aprile, TCT Michaels, R Limbocker, M Perni, FS Ruggeri, B Mannini, T Löhr, M Bonomi, C Camilloni, A De Simone, IC Felli, R Pierattelli, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson, M Vendruscolo

Science advances

(2020)

eabb5924

(doi: 10.1126/SCIADV.ABB5924)

Machine learning models for predicting protein condensate formation from sequence determinants and embeddings

K Saar, A Morgunov, R Qi, W Arter, G Krainer, A Lee, T Knowles

(2020)

2020.10.26.354753

(doi: 10.1101/2020.10.26.354753)

Supramolecular Peptide Nanofibrils with Optimized Sequences and Molecular Structures for Efficient Retroviral Transduction

S Sieste, T Mack, E Lump, M Hayn, D Schütz, A Röcker, C Meier, F Kirchhoff, T Knowles, FS Ruggeri, C Synatschke, J Münch, T Weil

(2020)

(doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv.13129709.v1)

Supramolecular Peptide Nanofibrils with Optimized Sequences and Molecular Structures for Efficient Retroviral Transduction

S Sieste, T Mack, E Lump, M Hayn, D Schütz, A Röcker, C Meier, F Kirchhoff, T Knowles, FS Ruggeri, C Synatschke, J Münch, T Weil

(2020)

(doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv.13129709)

Microscale diffusiophoresis of proteins

Q Peter, R Jacquat, T Herling, P Challa, T Kartanas, T Knowles

(2020)

(doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-90645/v1)

Rapid Structural, Kinetic, and Immunochemical Analysis of Alpha-Synuclein Oligomers in Solution.

WE Arter, CK Xu, M Castellana-Cruz, TW Herling, G Krainer, KL Saar, JR Kumita, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles

Nano Letters

(2020)

8163

(doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c03260)

The role of fibril structure and surface hydrophobicity in secondary nucleation of amyloid fibrils.

D Thacker, K Sanagavarapu, B Frohm, G Meisl, TPJ Knowles, S Linse

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

(2020)

117

25272

(doi: 10.1073/pnas.2002956117)

The role of clearance mechanisms in the kinetics of toxic protein aggregates involved in neurodegenerative diseases

TB Thompson, G Meisl, T Knowles, A Goriely

(2020)

(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.2009.14135)

Kinetic fingerprints differentiate the mechanisms of action of anti-Aβ antibodies

S Linse, T Scheidt, K Bernfur, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson, SIA Cohen, E Sileikis, M Lundqvist, F Qian, T O'Malley, T Bussiere, PH Weinreb, CK Xu, G Meisl, SRA Devenish, TPJ Knowles, O Hansson

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology

(2020)

1125

(doi: 10.1038/s41594-020-0505-6)

Deformable and robust core-shell protein microcapsules templated by liquid-liquid phase separated microdroplets

Y Xu, Y Shen, TCT Michaels, KN Baumann, D Vigolo, Q Peter, Y Lu, KL Saar, D Vella, H Zhu, B Li, H Yang, APM Guttenplan, M Rodriguez-Garcia, D Klenerman, TPJ Knowles

(2020)

(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.2009.13413)

Professor Tuomas Knowles

Professor of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics

1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry

Our research

Watch Professor Knowles discuss his research

Take a tour of the Sir Rodney Sweetnam laboratory

Publications

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College

About the Department

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Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge