Case Studies

We are developing a range of new ways to engineer and modify proteins. We are using diverse approaches to design and modify proteins to imbue them with new properties and developing chemical and enzymatic approaches to targeted modification of expressed proteins. These techniques enable new approaches to understand and probe biology to understand how the cell works and how we can engineer it and enable production of designer proteins with applications as candidate biopharmaceuticals, as diagnostic reagents and for use in imaging.

We are developing a range of cutting‑edge delivery vehicles that can carry various cargos such as drugs, nutraceuticals, proteins and nucleic acids for a variety of biomedical, biotechnological, imaging and diagnostic applications. The systems we engineer aim to improve spatio-temporal control and responsiveness in delivery as well as develop structure-function relationships. Examples include lipid-based nanoparticles, polymers, microbubbles, nucleic acids, metal or inorganic nanoparticles, bacterial toxins and virus-like particles.

We are engineering protein scaffolds to organise, position and assemble proteins with high precision. These designer protein networks create programmable nanoscale architectures with pre-defined viscoelastic properties and boost reaction efficiency. Protein scaffolds act as customisable frameworks that bring enzymes and structural proteins together with controlled spatial arrangement and stoichiometry. The engineered assemblies can be exploited for use in drug delivery, biosensing, nanomaterial fabrication and bioremediation, and can be applied to the three challenge-focused pillars: Medtech & Health, Food & Agriculture, and Sustainability & Environment.

A range of novel technologies have been developed for the handling and characterisation of membrane proteins and their application in biotechnology. These include detergent-free methods using amphiphilic copolymers, vesicle reconstitution systems with enhanced durability, cell-free synthesis and light-harvesting membranes with broader spectral range. These underpinning tools have applications in pharmaceutical assay development, biocatalysis and beyond.

We are engineering cellular genomes, pathways and compartments to maximise and optimise the production of high value proteins and compounds using a wide range of chassis from bacterial, plant and mammalian domains. By integrating synthetic circuit design, genome engineering, directed evolution and modelling, we are adopting a data-driven approach to rationally engineer cells for bespoke functions with environmental and healthcare applications. In addition, we are using engineering biology tools and approaches to better understand cellular processes, such as how cellular enzyme functions are regulated or how molecular mechanisms within cells cause disease.

We are integrating cutting-edge structural, chemical, and computational approaches to provide deep insights into biological function from the molecular to cellular level that drive advancements in engineering biology. By leveraging advanced techniques such as cryo-electron microscopy, time-resolved X-ray crystallography, mass-spectrometry, AFM, imaging and flow-cytometry in combination with computational modelling we are able to unravel the structures, dynamics and interactions of biomolecules with exceptional precision. This detailed characterisation enables the rational design and optimisation of engineered biological systems, from tailored enzymes to artificial cells.
Key Facilities include: Electron Microscopy; Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry; Imaging and flow-cytometry; AFM at the Wolfson Imaging Facility; The Leeds Nanotechnology Clean Room.

We are engineering multivalent molecular probes that are exquisitely sensitive to changes in the concentration of biomarkers on cells or in tissues. Such ‘superselective’ probes can be useful as diagnostic, therapeutic or research tools, wherever sensitive detection of relatively small changes in marker concentration above a non-zero background is required. Probe design is inspired by the exquisite ability of cells to sense and communicate with their environment.