Centre for Misfolding Diseases

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

Scaling and dimensionality in the chemical kinetics of protein filament formation
TCT Michaels, AJ Dear, TPJ Knowles
International Reviews in Physical Chemistry
(2016)
35
(doi: 10.1080/0144235X.2016.1239335)
Fabrication of fibrillosomes from droplets stabilized by protein nanofibrils at all-aqueous interfaces.
Y Song, U Shimanovich, TCT Michaels, Q Ma, J Li, TPJ Knowles, HC Shum
Nature Communications
(2016)
7
(doi: 10.1038/ncomms12934)
Elastic instability-mediated actuation by a supra-molecular polymer
A Levin, TCT Michaels, L Adler-Abramovich, TO Mason, T Müller, B Zhang, L Mahadevan, E Gazit, TPJ Knowles
Nature Physics
(2016)
12
(doi: 10.1038/NPHYS3808)
Intra-chain organisation of hydrophobic residues controls inter-chain aggregation rates of amphiphilic polymers
P Varilly, AP Willard, JB Kirkegaard, TPJ Knowles, D Chandler
(2016)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1610.00183)
Kinetics of fragmentation and dissociation of two-strand protein filaments: Coarse-grained simulations and experiments
A Zaccone, I Terentjev, TW Herling, TPJ Knowles, A Aleksandrova, EM Terentjev
(2016)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1609.05027)
Kinetics of fragmentation and dissociation of two-strand protein filaments: Coarse-grained simulations and experiments.
A Zaccone, I Terentjev, TW Herling, TPJ Knowles, A Aleksandrova, EM Terentjev
The Journal of Chemical Physics
(2016)
145
(doi: 10.1063/1.4962366)
Physical determinants of the self-replication of protein fibrils.
A Šarić, AK Buell, G Meisl, TCT Michaels, CM Dobson, S Linse, TPJ Knowles, D Frenkel
Nature physics
(2016)
12
(doi: 10.1038/NPHYS3828)
Mutations associated with familial Parkinson's disease alter the initiation and amplification steps of α-synuclein aggregation
P Flagmeier, G Meisl, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, CM Dobson, AK Buell, C Galvagnion
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
(2016)
113
(doi: 10.1073/pnas.1604645113)
Protein Aggregate-Ligand Binding Assays Based on Microfluidic Diffusional Separation
Y Zhang, AK Buell, T Müller, E De Genst, J Benesch, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles
Chembiochem
(2016)
17
(doi: 10.1002/cbic.201600384)
Controlling the Physical Dimensions of Peptide Nanotubes by Supramolecular Polymer Coassembly
L Adler-Abramovich, P Marco, ZA Arnon, RCG Creasey, TCT Michaels, A Levin, DJ Scurr, CJ Roberts, TPJ Knowles, SJB Tendler, E Gazit
ACS Nano
(2016)
10
(doi: 10.1021/acsnano.6b01587)

Co-Director

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 336344

Email address

tpjk2@cam.ac.uk

College

St John's College
Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry
Lensfield Road
Cambridge
CB2 1EW
T: +44 (0) 1223 336300
enquiries@ch.cam.ac.uk
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