Professor Tuomas Knowles | Centre for Misfolding Diseases

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

Strength of Nanotubes, Filaments, and Nanowires From Sonication‐Induced Scission

YY Huang, TPJ Knowles, EM Terentjev

Advanced Materials

(2009)

21

3945

(doi: 10.1002/adma.200900498)

Fabrication and characterisation of protein fibril–elastomer composites

T Oppenheim, TPJ Knowles, SP Lacour, ME Welland

Acta Biomaterialia

(2009)

6

1337

(doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2009.10.013)

Imaging Amyloid Fibrils within Cells Using a Se-Labelling Strategy

AE Porter, TPJ Knowles, K Muller, S Meehan, E McGuire, J Skepper, ME Welland, CM Dobson

J Mol Biol

(2009)

392

868

(doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.07.061)

Biosensor-based label-free assays of amyloid growth.

DA White, AK Buell, CM Dobson, ME Welland, TPJ Knowles

FEBS letters

(2009)

583

2587

(doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.06.008)

Position-Dependent Electrostatic Protection against Protein Aggregation

AK Buell, GG Tartaglia, NR Birkett, CA Waudby, M Vendruscolo, X Salvatella, ME Welland, CM Dobson, TPJ Knowles

ChemBioChem

(2009)

10

1309

(doi: 10.1002/cbic.200900144)

Label-free detection of amyloid growth with microcantilever sensors

TPJ Knowles, W Shu, F Huber, HP Lang, C Gerber, CM Dobson, ME Welland

Nanotechnology

(2008)

19

384007

(doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/19/38/384007)

Measurement of Amyloid Fibril Length Distributions by Inclusion of Rotational Motion in Solution NMR Diffusion Measurements

AJ Baldwin, SJ Anthony‐Cahill, TPJ Knowles, G Lippens, J Christodoulou, PD Barker, CM Dobson

Angewandte Chemie

(2008)

120

3433

(doi: 10.1002/ange.200703915)

Measurement of Amyloid Fibril Length Distributions by Inclusion of Rotational Motion in Solution NMR Diffusion Measurements

AJ Baldwin, SJ Anthony-Cahill, TPJ Knowles, G Lippens, J Christodoulou, PD Barker, CM Dobson

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

(2008)

47

3385

(doi: 10.1002/anie.200703915)

Highly specific label-free protein detection from lysed cells using internally referenced microcantilever sensors

W Shu, S Laurenson, TPJ Knowles, P Ko Ferrigno, AA Seshia

Biosensors and Bioelectronics

(2008)

24

233

(doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2008.03.036)

Role of Intermolecular Forces in Defining Material Properties of Protein Nanofibrils

TP Knowles, AW Fitzpatrick, S Meehan, HR Mott, M Vendruscolo, CM Dobson, ME Welland

Science

(2007)

318

1900

(doi: 10.1126/science.1150057)