Enhancing our understanding of metallochemistry in neurobiology with modern electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Many neurological diseases involve protein accumulation that appears causally linked to abnormal levels of metal ions in the brain. This project will use a special technique called electron paramagnetic resonance to uncover how these metals interact with specific proteins at the molecular level and how drug treatments can modify these interactions.
Site-specific Conjugation of Zirconium and Copper Complexes to Antibodies for Application in Diagnostic Imaging and Therapy. This project will focus on fundamental chemistry that underpins innovations in the synthesis of metal-based imaging and therapeutic agents. Radioactive isotopes of copper and zirconium can be used for either non-invasive diagnostic imaging or treatment of disease. However, it is essential that the diagnostic or therapeutic agent selectively localises in diseased tissue. Th ....Site-specific Conjugation of Zirconium and Copper Complexes to Antibodies for Application in Diagnostic Imaging and Therapy. This project will focus on fundamental chemistry that underpins innovations in the synthesis of metal-based imaging and therapeutic agents. Radioactive isotopes of copper and zirconium can be used for either non-invasive diagnostic imaging or treatment of disease. However, it is essential that the diagnostic or therapeutic agent selectively localises in diseased tissue. This project aims to achieve the required selectivity by employing enzymatic site-specific bioconjugation reactions to build new imaging agents that feature ligands designed to safely bind radioactive isotopes fused to antibody derived targeting molecules.Read moreRead less
Exploiting bacterial metal resistance machinery for metal ion nano-biosensors development. This project aims to integrate advanced materials chemistry, molecular biology, bio-electrochemical and synchrotron imaging approaches to understand the role of silver resistance machinery of bacteria in their ability to form silver nanoparticles. This aims to enable discovery of new metal-specific reductase enzymes. The fundamental biomolecular understanding of bacterial silver resistance will allow the u ....Exploiting bacterial metal resistance machinery for metal ion nano-biosensors development. This project aims to integrate advanced materials chemistry, molecular biology, bio-electrochemical and synchrotron imaging approaches to understand the role of silver resistance machinery of bacteria in their ability to form silver nanoparticles. This aims to enable discovery of new metal-specific reductase enzymes. The fundamental biomolecular understanding of bacterial silver resistance will allow the use of a silver-binding protein to develop a series of next-generation nano-biosensors. These biosensing platforms will provide high-throughput, cost-effective, selective, sensitive and continuous monitoring of heavy metal ions in effluents from mining and mineral processing industries in a real-time fashion.Read moreRead less