The biological properties of a protein depend critically on its three-dimensional shape and hence proteins need to fold to reach their functional states. Our work is currently focused on a catalyst of protein folding – protein disulphide isomerase. This protein accelerates the rate of disulphide bond reduction and formation enabling the substrate to reach its folded structure more quickly. The group is using NMR and other biophysical techniques to characterise this process in more detail at a molecular level. NMR spectroscopy is a technique used to study the structure, binding interactions and the dynamic nature of biological molecules including cellular metabolites, metabolic pathway intermediates, peptides and proteins. Our expertise includes the design and implementation of novel NMR experiments as well routine methods to solve biological problems. NMR-based projects aim to understand the relationship of structure to function in biomedical or biochemical systems and our project base includes protein folding and cancer cell molecular recognition. An upgrade of the School's 600 MHz NMR spectrometer in spring 2011 includes a new console and cryoprobe.

The ability to regulate gene expression in response to environmental and endogenous signals is a key factor in the evolutionary success of bacteria. Work in the Group is focused on understanding how bacterial gene expression is regulated at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level by mechanisms such as phase variation and quorum sensing. Understanding the physiological significance of the control of properties including adherence, tetrapyrrole biosynthesis and phenoxyacetate degradation is a particular interest.

A vigorous and active group of laboratories is researching into various targets in human and animal cancer cells. The specific interests include the underlying mechanisms of cancer drug resistance and how growth factors, and their receptors, (eg, the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Family) are altered in cancer. Studies into the role of cell adhesion molecules as potential cancer drug targets also provide insight into how cancer cells can break off and spread throughout the body. Other areas of interest include how normal processes of DNA repair go wrong in cancer cells and the engineering of therapeutic antibodies as active cancer treatment agents.

Each of these academic study areas has practical and therapeutic applications pertaining to prognosis, prediction, diagnosis and treatment of cancer with the potential to improve the outcome for patients.

‘Chromonomics' is the term we like to use for the interface between chromosome research and the study of whole genome sequences. The laboratory focuses on three main areas: 1) the study of the relationship between chromosome abnormalities, fertility, IVF failure and pregnancy loss in human gametes and embryos; 2) the use of pigs as a model for studying the genetic basis of human disease; and 3) the study of the evolution and genome structure of birds. The work has a strong applied element being translated into agriculturally relevant products and knowledge of the development of novel tools for the diagnosis of genetic disease in IVF embryos. With colleagues at the London Bridge Fertility Centre, the lab was shortlisted for Research Project of the Year (2010) by the Times Higher Education Supplement.

Staff

Professor Darren Griffin.

Many of the new drugs currently under development are based upon proteins rather than traditional small molecules. These protein drugs are produced for the treatment of diseases such as cancer by cells kept in culture under defined conditions but are often challenging and costly to generate. The Group is primarily focused upon defining biological mechanisms that underpin the synthesis and bioprocessing of protein based therapies from cellular expression systems, particularly mammalian cells, with strong biotechnological and industrial links to exploit technology that arises as a result. We are particularly interested in control of protein synthesis and mRNA translation in both a biotechnological sense and upon cold-shock. Surprisingly, the control of mRNA translation and subsequent protein synthesis in mammalian cells at subphysiological temperatures (cold-shock, <37^oC) and upon recovery is poorly described even though cold-shock is used in transplant medicine, heart and brain surgery, implicated in mammalian hibernation, brain plasticity and ageing, and is utilised in the biotechnology sector as a method to improve recombinant protein production.

The Kent Fungal Group (KFG) brings together a number of research groups in the School of Biosciences who primarily use yeasts or other fungi as ‘model systems' for their research. One strength of the KFG is the range of model fungi being exploited for both fundamental and medical/translational research. These include Bakers' yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and Fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) and yeasts associated with human disease, specifically Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. In addition to studying key cellular processes in the fungal cell such as protein synthesis, amyloids and cell division, members of the KFG are also using yeast to explore the molecular basis of human diseases such as Alzheimer's, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, Huntington and Parkinson diseases as well as ageing. The KFG not only provides support for both fundamental and medical/translational fungal research, but also provides an excellent training environment for young fungal researchers.

Movement is a fundamental feature of living organisms and molecular motors are the proteins that move cells and move things inside cells. One interest of the Group is the myosin family of motors that are involved in movements such as muscle contraction (cardiac and skeletal muscle), cell division, phagocytosis and vesicle transport. We correlate the properties of the myosins that can be studied in solutions of purified proteins (structure, function and regulation) with the behaviour of the same motors in healthy and damaged cells from yeast to humans. Spectrin-based membrane skeleton proteins line the inner face of the plasma membrane giving it resilience to the forces associated with movement. They also organise the plasma membrane so that cell-cell adhesions are strengthened and signalling complexes are organised. We use cell culture and in vitro analysis of spectrin and its associated proteins to investigate the role of these cytoskeletal elements in generation of cellular phenotype, especially in nerve, heart and red blood cells. Neighbouring cells communicate with one another via gap junctions that consist of clusters of intercellular channels that permit cell-cell exchange. Two gene families have evolved to form gap-junction channels – the connexins and the innexins. We use molecular genetic, cell biological and imaging techniques to investigate innexin function in vivo, in vitro expression systems to investigate the electrophysiological properties of innexin channels.

Synthetic biology is an area of biological research that combines science and engineering. This involves the design and construction of new biological functions and systems not normally found within the cell. It can encompass the optimisation of metabolic pathways found elsewhere in nature and ultimately could lead to the construction of altogether new pathways and even new life forms. In Kent, synthetic biology approaches have been used to enhance metabolic pathways for vitamin synthesis, optimise the production of bio-therapeutics and to introduce compartmentalisation into cells.

Synthetic biology is an area of biological research that combines science and engineering. This involves the design and construction of new biological functions and systems not normally found within the cell. It can encompass the optimisation of metabolic pathways found elsewhere in nature and ultimately could lead to the construction of altogether new pathways and even new life forms. In Kent, synthetic biology approaches have been used to enhance metabolic pathways for vitamin synthesis, optimise the production of bio-therapeutics and to introduce compartmentalisation into cells.

The School houses one of the University's flagship research centres – the Centre for Molecular Processing (CMP). Here, staff from Biosciences, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Computing and Engineering combine their expertise into a pioneering interdisciplinary biosciences programme at Kent, in order to unlock the secrets of some of the essential life processes. These approaches are leading to a more integrated understanding of biology in health and disease. In the Centre, ideas and technology embodied in different disciplines are being employed in some of the remaining challenges in bioscience. With such an approach, new discoveries and creative ideas are generated through the formation of new collaborative teams. In this environment, the CMP is broadening and enriching the training of students and staff in science and technology.

Staff

Dr Anthony Baines, Professor Mark Smales, Professor Mick Tuite, Dr Najl Valeyev, Dr Tobias von der Haar, Professor Martin Warren.

Principally a collaboration between the Schools of Biosciences and Computing, the Centre for Computational Biology fosters interdisciplinary research and postgraduate teaching. The Centre builds on a thriving culture of collaboration and is involved in work related to the modelling of biological process in normal life and disease; the imaging of biological and disease processes and knowledge-discovery in sequence and other biological databases.