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

FUS Phase Separation Is Modulated by a Molecular Chaperone and Methylation of Arginine Cation-π Interactions

S Qamar, G Wang, SJ Randle, FS Ruggeri, JA Varela, JQ Lin, EC Phillips, A Miyashita, D Williams, F Ströhl, W Meadows, R Ferry, VJ Dardov, GG Tartaglia, LA Farrer, GS Kaminski Schierle, CF Kaminski, CE Holt, PE Fraser, G Schmitt-Ulms, D Klenerman, T Knowles, M Vendruscolo, P St George-Hyslop

Cell

(2018)

173

720

(doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.03.056)

Water-Dispersible Polydopamine-Coated Nanofibers for Stimulation of Neuronal Growth and Adhesion

S Sieste, T Mack, CV Synatschke, C Schilling, C Meyer Zu Reckendorf, L Pendi, S Harvey, FS Ruggeri, TPJ Knowles, C Meier, DYW Ng, T Weil, B Knöll

Advanced healthcare materials

(2018)

e1701485

(doi: 10.1002/adhm.201701485)

Measurement of Tau Filament Fragmentation Provides Insights into Prion-like Spreading

F Kundel, L Hong, B Falcon, WA McEwan, TCT Michaels, G Meisl, N Esteras, AY Abramov, TJP Knowles, M Goedert, D Klenerman

ACS Chem Neurosci

(2018)

1276

(doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00094)

Biophotonics of Native Silk Fibrils

U Shimanovich, D Pinotsi, K Shimanovich, N Yu, S Bolisetty, J Adamcik, R Mezzenga, J Charmet, F Vollrath, E Gazit, CM Dobson, GK Schierle, C Holland, CF Kaminski, TPJ Knowles

Macromolecular bioscience

(2018)

e1700295

(doi: 10.1002/mabi.201700295)

Distinct thermodynamic signatures of oligomer generation in the aggregation of the amyloid-β peptide

SIA Cohen, R Cukalevski, TCT Michaels, A Šarić, M Törnquist, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson, AK Buell, TPJ Knowles, S Linse

Nature Chemistry

(2018)

523

(doi: 10.1038/s41557-018-0023-x)

Reaction rate theory for supramolecular kinetics: application to protein aggregation

TCT Michaels, LX Liu, S Curk, PG Bolhuis, A Saric, TPJ Knowles

(2018)

(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1803.04851)

Real-Time Intrinsic Fluorescence Visualization and Sizing of Proteins and Protein Complexes in Microfluidic Devices.

PK Challa, Q Peter, MA Wright, Y Zhang, KL Saar, JA Carozza, JLP Benesch, TPJ Knowles

Anal Chem

(2018)

3849

(doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b04523)

Chemical Kinetics for Bridging Molecular Mechanisms and Macroscopic Measurements of Amyloid Fibril Formation.

TCT Michaels, A Šarić, J Habchi, S Chia, G Meisl, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles

Annu Rev Phys Chem

(2018)

(doi: 10.1146/annurev-physchem-050317-021322)

Additional contributions from: Nobel Symposium 162 - Microfluidics

S Löfås, AE Herr, J Qin, T Knowles, T Kitamori, H Lu, DJ Beebe, J Han, J Landers, A Manz, R Zengerle, DA Weitz, J Elf, T Laurell

(2018)

(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1802.08565)

Microfluidic Diffusion Platform for Characterizing the Sizes of Lipid Vesicles and the Thermodynamics of Protein-Lipid Interactions.

H Gang, C Galvagnion, G Meisl, T Müller, M Pfammatter, AK Buell, A Levin, CM Dobson, B Mu, TPJ Knowles

Anal Chem

(2018)

3284

(doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b04820)

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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Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

Email address

College

About the Department

Departmental Services

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge