Our community of researchers working at the chemistry/biology interface develop new chemical and biological techniques and tools to probe fundamental biological systems.
A team lead by Dr Clare Mahon (Durham Chemistry) are developing new molecular probes to diagnose changes to the bacterial genome during infection. These changes can result in antibiotic resistant bacterial infections developing, an especial risk in immunocompromised patients. The new probes have potential applications as a new fast, point-of-care tool to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
A multidisciplinary team led by Professor Martin Cann (Durham Biosciences) have identified the protein allophycocyanin A as a target for CO2 binding during photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. This is revealing how CO2 regulates electronic energy transfer during the light harvesting phase of photosynthesis, reducing harm to the photosynthetic apparatus.
Target sites for the inhibitor tanespimycin of Leishmania mexicana, have been validated by a team of academics from the Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases led by Professor Paul Denny (Durham Biosciences). Using a combination of live parasite photoaffinity labelling using novel probes and quantitative proteomics mass spectrometry, the inhibition of L. mexicana was found to slow multiple mechanisms of protein production when bound to heat shock protein 90 providing further insights for the development of these anti-leishmanial agents.
Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases
The “Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases” (NTD Network) was founded in 2018 and funded through the Global Challenges Research Fund. It is led by Professor Paul Denny (Durham Biosciences) and an executive team from 12 institutions from 6 countries across South America, Asia and the UK.
The aim of the network is to identify new drug targets for leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, and uses a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to identifying in-parasite biomolecules as potential targets and screening these targets against chemical libraries. Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are two of the WHO’s top 20 neglected tropical diseases. They are spread by biting insects and are recognised to be amongst the most severely neglected diseases in the world, affecting the “poorest of the poor”.
Molecular Sciences for Medicine (MoSMed) CDT
The MoSMed EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training is an interdisciplinary CDT held jointly between Newcastle and Durham Universities. Co-awardees from Durham include Professors Steven Cobb (BSI Director) and Ehmke Pohl (BSI Co-Director), and current MoSMed CDT students are a valued part of our community.
The CDT provides high quality training for future researcher leaders at the chemistry and medicine interface. Its research themes include Biology of Disease, Molecule & Assay Design and Structural Biology & Computation.
Bhagat P.K., Roy D., Sadanandom A., 2023. Expression, Purification, and Enzymatic Analysis of Plant SUMO Proteases. Methods in Molecular Biology, 2581.
Brittain, W.D.G. & Coxon, C.R., 2022. Perfluoroaryl and Perfluoroheteroaryl Reagents as Emerging New Tools for Peptide Synthesis, Modification and Bioconjugation. Chemistry - A European Journal, 28(7).
Foster, A.W., Clough, S.E., Aki, Z., Young, T.R., Clarke, A.R., & Robinson, N.J., 2022. Metalation calculators for E. coli strain JM109 (DE3): aerobic, anaerobic, and hydrogen peroxide exposed cells cultured in LB media. Metallomics : integrated biometal science, 14, 9.
Gannon H.G., Riaz-Bradley A., Cann M.J., 2024. A Non-Functional Carbon Dioxide-Mediated Post-Translational Modification on Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase of Arabidopsis thaliana. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(2), 2.
Guillén-García, A., Gibson, S.E.R., Jordan, C.J.C., Ramaswamy, V.K., Linthwaite, V.L., Bromley, E.H.C., Brown, A.P., Hodgson, D.R.W., Blower, T.R., Verlet, J.R.R., Degiacomi, M.T., Pålsson, L.-. & Cann, M.J., 2022. Allophycocyanin A is a carbon dioxide receptor in the cyanobacterial phycobilisome. Nature Communications, 13(1).
Jasilionis A., Plotka M., Wang L., Dorawa S., Lange J., Watzlawick H., van den Bergh T., Vroling B., Altenbuchner J., Kaczorowska A.-K., Pohl E., Kaczorowski T., Nordberg Karlsson E., Freitag-Pohl S., 2023. AmiP from hyperthermophilic Thermus parvatiensis prophage is a thermoactive and ultrathermostable peptidoglycan lytic amidase. Protein Science, 32(3), 3.
Mishra A., Djoko K.Y., Lee Y.-H., Lord R.M., Kaul G., Akhir A., Saxena D., Chopra S., Walton J.W., 2023. Water-soluble copper pyrithione complexes with cytotoxic and antibacterial activity. Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, 21(12).
Osman D., Robinson N.J., 2023. Protein metalation in a nutshell. FEBS Letters, 597.
Stewart L.J., Hong Y., Holmes I.R., Firth S.J., Ahmed Y., Quinn J., Santos Y., Cobb S.L., Jakubovics N.S., Djoko K.Y., 2023. Salivary Antimicrobial Peptide Histatin-5 Does Not Display Zn(II)-Dependent or -Independent Activity against Streptococci. ACS Infectious Diseases, 9(3), 3.
Young T.R., Deery E., Foster A.W., Martini M.A., Osman D., Warren M.J., Robinson N.J., 2023. Two Distinct Thermodynamic Gradients for Cellular Metalation of Vitamin B12. JACS Au, 3.
Areas of Expertise: Biomolecular Interactions, Genomics, Single-molecule Biophysics
Research Interests
Areas of Expertise: Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology
Areas of Expertise: Microbiology, Genomics, Biochemistry, X-ray Crystallography
Areas of Expertise: Biochemistry
Areas of Expertise: Bioinorganic Chemistry
Research Interests: Molecular determinants of microbial metal homeostasis.
Areas of Expertise: Synthetic Chemistry, Peptoid and Peptide Chemistry
Areas of Expertise: Cell Biology, Parasitology, Lipid Biochemistry
Areas of Expertise: Metals in Biology
Areas of Expertise: Synthetic Chemistry, Supramolecular Chemistry & Functional Molecules
Areas of Expertise: Polymer Chemistry, Molecular Recognition, Biological Chemistry
Areas of Expertise: Structural biology, Biophysics, Biochemistry, Virology
Areas of Expertise: Physical Organic Chemistry, Catalysis, Synthesis, Kinetics and mechanism, Kinetic acidity and pKa determination
Areas of Expertise: Chemical physics, Biophysics
Areas of Expertise: Structural Biology
Areas of Expertise: Bioengineering Human Tissues, Development and Translation of Advanced Cell Technologies, Cell and Tissue Differentiation in Health and Disease, 3Rs – Developing Alternatives for Animals in Research
Areas of Expertise: Cell Biology of Metals
Areas of Expertise: Microbiology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology
Areas of Expertise: Synthetic Chemistry, Chemical Biology
Areas of Expertise: Chemical Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Design & Development, Synthetic Chemistry, Catalysis
Areas of Expertise: Synthetic Chemistry, Metal Complexes, Luminescence and Bio-imaging
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