We focus on solving key intellectual and practical problems in the physics of biological systems and the underlying properties of soft matter, from intramolecular to cellular length scales, using experimental, computational and theoretical methods. Our investigators' research can broadly be categorised via the following techniques and research areas.
Fluorescence microscopy
Angus Bain works on the development of advanced fluorescence microscopy techniques, such as fluorescence life-time imaging, Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), and super-resolution (stimulated emission depletion, STED) microscopy. The use of these in his lab has helped, for example, to track the phosporylation of key proteins (NADH) in the cellular energy metabolism and to investigate conformational dynamics of tumor suppressors.
Atomic force microscopy for nanoscale biophysics
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a unique tool to for the nanometre-scale visualisation of biomolecules in action. Bart Hoogenboom uses high-resolution AFM in aqueous solution, combined with other experimental and theoretical biophysical approaches, for the study of protein/peptide dynamics and assembly (e.g., for membrane pore formation); of transport selectivity in the nuclear pore complex; and of the various structures that can be adopted by DNA.
Biophysics of genome structure and repair
Nicholas Bell’s lab studies the molecular mechanisms of protein-DNA interactions that underpin the structure and maintenance of the genome. Towards this goal, they develop a range of single-molecule biophysics techniques including magnetic tweezers, fluorescence imaging and nanopore sensing to quantitatively understand protein and DNA dynamics at high spatial and temporal resolution.
Nanoparticle synthesis and biofunctionalisation
Nanoparticles can provide a handle for tracking, imaging, and manipulating cells and tissues, with potential applications for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. Thanh Nguyen is a specialist on the synthesis and functionalisation of various types of nanoparticles for biomedical applications.
X-ray diffraction for probing biological structure
Ian Robinson develops and applies new methods based on coherent X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation. Besides an extensive programme in solid-state physics, he uses X-rays for probing biological structures, ranging from collagen fibrils to the metaphase human chromosome.
Molecular Modelling
Edina Rosta's research group focuses on how to enable computational design by understanding the catalytic power of enzymes using atomistic molecular modelling tools, including hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations. To quantitatively and accurately assess how enzymes achieve their extraordinary efficiency and specificity in performing chemical reactions, we develop and use modern enhanced sampling methods. Biased simulations are usually required to reach the relevant timescales of important biological processes using current simulation resources. We develop novel algorithms to calculate molecular kinetics in addition to free energies from biased molecular simulations using Markov chains defined on molecular conformational networks. Applications aim at understanding and molecular design concerning the most prominent chemical reactions of living organisms: phosphate transfer and cleavage..
Mathematical and physical biology
Zena Hadjivasiliou's lab studies how structure and organisation emerge in living systems. They develop mathematical and physical descriptions that help to bridge events that happen at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and whole organism scale. One of their core interests is the process of development where organisms grow from a single cell to an adult body of well-defined and reproducible size, shape and morphology. They study the developmental machineries that underlie this remarkable transformation in size and organization during development. Understanding the mechanisms that control animal growth and patterning can also help explain how the enormous diversity we see across the tree of life has emerged.
Optical tweezers
Optical tweezers enable us to trap micro- to nanoscale objects with picoNewton forces, with the particular advantage – for biological sciences – that this can be done in aqueous solution. Phil Jones uses optical tweezers for a range of experiments on colloidal, soft-matter and biological systems including, for example, elasticity measurements on cell membranes.
Mechanobiology and Biophysics
In order to grow and divide cells need to organize themselves in space and time. Intracellular rearrangements are driven by combination of motor and non-motor proteins that generate and respond to mechanical forces. Maxim Molodtsov uses single-molecule microscopy, force spectroscopy and develops new tools to investigate how mechanical activities of multiple molecules are coordinated to achieve complex cellular organisation.
Quantum biology
It is well known that quantum mechanics explains the structure and stability of the biomolecules. What remains unknown is whether there are quantum coherent dynamics that are relevant for their biological functionality. Alexandra Olaya-Castro develops quantum mechanical approaches to photosynthetic complexes, electronic and vibrational dynamics in biomolecules, charge and exciton transfer processes, and thermodynamics of biomolecular processes.
Mechanisms in Evolution
Biology is built by evolution. As a way of making things, this is quite distinct from rational, human engineering. Kabir Husain's group works on the nuts and bolts of evolution. The goal is to try to understand how such impressive outcomes emerge from a process whose ingredients are deceptively simple -- "only" heritable variation and natural selection. To this end, they combine theory -- from statistical physics and population genetics -- with experimental evolution and molecular biology.
Theory of biological and synthetic active matter
Jaime Agudo-Canalejo uses tools from theoretical and computational physics to study biological as well as synthetic active matter systems, with the ultimate goal of understanding what makes inanimate matter come alive. Particular topics of research include nonequilibrium self-organization and transport induced by catalytic activity, compartmentalization in lipid membranes and biomolecular condensates, and the stochastic (thermo)dynamics of biomolecular machines.