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The groups focus is on understanding structure function relationships of amphiphilic bioactive molecules and the design of new biomaterials.

The group is multidisciplinary and draws on a range of specialisms including, biology, (cell biology and microbiology), chemistry (biochemistry, synthetic chemistry), physics (biophysics, nano physics) and computational modelling to:

Investigate the mode of action of helical peptides and other bioactive amphiphilic molecules and to identify their molecular target(s)

Undertake structure-activity studies to improve the antimicrobial activity and oncolytic properties of amphiphilic, membrane interactive compounds

Develop computational methods for the identification and assessment of key functional characteristics of amphiphilic molecules with medical applications

Interest in amphiphilic molecules.

A major problem facing medical science is the increasing occurrence of resistance to antimicrobial and anticancer agents, which has led to the need for new lead compounds in strategies of drug design. Such agents need to be able to target specific cells and disrupt their function hence efficacy can be reduced by either poor selectivity or poor activity at the target site.

A key feature of interest is the membrane surrounding the cell since this may be the target site for any new agent or if not it will need to be traversed for the agent to reach the cell interior. These membranes form a phospholipid barrier around the cell and exhibit a hydrophobic interior and hydrophilic exterior. The function of many biologically active molecules is therefore dependent upon their own amphiphilic structure either because the membrane is the site of action or because it is their physicochemical characteristics that will determine their translocation across the bilayer and their subsequent compartmentalization within the cell. Currently, the main focus for our groups interest is therefore to investigate the structure function relationships underpinning the membrane interactions of known biologically active molecules and the role of amphiphilicity in the activity of such biomolecules.

Work is currently focused in two areas. The first is investigation into the properties of membrane interactive peptides such as antimicrobial peptides – a number of which have also been seen to exhibit anticancer properties. The second involves the creation of synthetic amphiphilic molecules which may have potential in the targeting and destruction of bacterial cells or tumour cells. Investigations of this kind can not only give insight into the functionality of the molecules themselves but as we gain understanding of how they cause lysis we can apply this knowledge to aid our understanding of a wide range of key biological processes that require on-going membrane fusion and lysis events.