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

Kinetic analysis reveals the rates and mechanisms of protein aggregation in a multicellular organism
T Sinnige, G Meisl, T Michaels, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, R Morimoto
(2020)
Microfluidic Templating: Microfluidic Templating of Spatially Inhomogeneous Protein Microgels (Small 32/2020)
Y Xu, RPB Jacquat, Y Shen, D Vigolo, D Morse, S Zhang, TPJ Knowles
Small
(2020)
16
Direct measurement of lipid membrane disruption connects kinetics and toxicity of Aβ42 aggregation.
P Flagmeier, S De, TCT Michaels, X Yang, AJ Dear, C Emanuelsson, M Vendruscolo, S Linse, D Klenerman, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
(2020)
27
Phase Transition and Crystallization Kinetics of a Supramolecular System in a Microfluidic Platform
D Cohen-Gerassi, ZA Arnon, T Guterman, A Levin, M Ghosh, M Aviv, D Levy, TPJ Knowles, Y Shacham-Diamand, L Adler-Abramovich
Chemistry of Materials
(2020)
32
Continuous Flow Reactors from Microfluidic Compartmentalization of Enzymes within Inorganic Microparticles.
TA Hakala, F Bialas, Z Toprakcioglu, B Bräuer, KN Baumann, A Levin, GJL Bernardes, CFW Becker, TPJ Knowles
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
(2020)
12
Half a century of amyloids: Past, present and future
PC Ke, R Zhou, LC Serpell, R Riek, TPJ Knowles, HA Lashuel, E Gazit, IW Hamley, TP Davis, M Fändrich, DE Otzen, MR Chapman, CM Dobson, DS Eisenberg, R Mezzenga
Chemical Society reviews
(2020)
49
Multidimensional protein characterisation using microfluidic post-column analysis
T Scheidt, T Kartanas, Q Peter, MM Schneider, KL Saar, T Müller, PK Challa, A Levin, S Devenish, TPJ Knowles
Lab on a Chip
(2020)
20
Infrared Nanospectroscopy Reveals the Molecular Interaction Fingerprint of an Aggregation Inhibitor with Single Aβ42 Oligomers
FS Ruggeri, J Habchi, S Chia, M Vendruscolo, T Knowles
(2020)
Templating S100A9 amyloids on Aβ fibrillar surfaces revealed by charge detection mass spectrometry, microscopy, kinetic and microfluidic analyses.
J Pansieri, IA Iashchishyn, H Fakhouri, L Ostojić, M Malisauskas, G Musteikyte, V Smirnovas, MM Schneider, T Scheidt, CK Xu, G Meisl, TPJ Knowles, E Gazit, R Antoine, LA Morozova-Roche
Chem Sci
(2020)
11
Rational design of a conformation-specific antibody for the quantification of Aβ oligomers
FA Aprile, P Sormanni, M Podpolny, S Chhangur, L-M Needham, FS Ruggeri, M Perni, R Limbocker, GT Heller, T Sneideris, T Scheidt, B Mannini, J Habchi, SF Lee, PC Salinas, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson, M Vendruscolo
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
(2020)
117

Co-Director

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 336344

Email address