Chemistry for Biology and Health
We focus on applying chemical approaches to problems in biology and medicine. By advancing our understanding of the molecular basis of life, we open new opportunities to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases as diverse as cancer, cardiovascular disease, infections, and neurodegeneration. We apply this new understanding to engineer biological systems for application in diagnostics, therapeutics, and biotechnology.
Our research is underpinned by expertise in synthetic and medicinal chemistry, molecular recognition, protein engineering, enzymology, computational chemistry, biophysical and analytical methods, and nanoscience. Our work is inherently interdisciplinary, and we work closely in collaboration with biologists, clinicians, industrial partners, and leading international centres. Our research is largely driven through the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology.
We apply molecular approaches to address major societal and economic problems in biology and health. Research in this area focuses on:
- Understanding molecular mechanisms in biology and biomedicine
- Chemical and biochemical methods for modifying biomacromolecules
- Chemical tools to perturb, label, and interrogate biomolecules in cells
- Engineering biological systems for healthcare and biotechnology
- Early-stage discovery of drug leads and chemical tools
- Targeted delivery systems for imaging and therapeutics
- Technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of disease
Major research projects
Research by members of the section is supported by UKRI, charities, and the EU, and we lead and participate in large, multi-centre and multinational projects, including:
- IMProGlyco, a €3.5m EU-funded project to develop customized therapeutic cells led by Leeds with six partners from across Europe
- ACROPATH, a £2.2m MRC- and AMED-funded UK-Japan collaboration to engineer artificial cells for infection diagnosis
- GLYCOCALYX, a €4.8m EU-funded doctoral network focusing on self-organisation and barrier functions of the mammalian glycocalyx
We have strong links to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, and many projects are undertaken in collaboration with industry. Many of these links are driven through the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology.
Facilities
- A platform for mass spectrometry-based chemical proteomics
- A suite dedicated to high-throughput analysis and screening of small molecules
- Instrumentation for high-throughput preparation of peptides, peptidomimetics, and peptide arrays
- Integrated laboratories for chemical biology research, including molecular biology, large-scale protein purification, and mammalian cell culture
Access to all major structural biology, biophysical, bioimaging, and biological mass spectrometry techniques is available through the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology. The £17m Astbury BioStructure laboratory and £11m Cheney Accelerator provide internationally leading facilities for cryo-electron microscopy/tomography, bioimaging, and biological NMR spectrometry (up to 950 MHz).
Research group members
- Paul Beales – membranes and vesicles, artificial cells, drug deliver
- Hannah Britt – mass spectrometry for dynamic disease mechanisms
- Colin Fishwick – medicinal chemistry; structure-based drug design
- Richard Foster – small molecule hit identification and optimisation
- Steve Marsden – bioactive molecule synthesis; hypoxia-sensing molecules
- Martin McPhillie – structure-based drug design and ligand discovery
- Adam Nelson (Head of Section) – high-throughput molecular discovery and chemical probes
- Matthew Quesne – catalysis inspired by nature, enzyme modelling
- Paul Taylor – molecular nutrition, evolutionary origins of neurotransmission
- Bruce Turnbull – glycoscience, targeted delivery, engineering biology
- Stuart Warriner – mass spectrometry, chemical probes, machine learning
- Mike Webb – protein chemistry, engineering biology
- Megan Wright – chemical probes, chemical proteomics
- Briony Yorke – time-resolved structural methods, biomolecular photochemistry
- Dejian Zhou – nanoparticle tools, theranostic probes
PhD projects
We have opportunities for prospective postgraduate research students. Details of current opportunities are available on the webpages of individual staff members (above), who are also happy to be contacted for further details. In addition to supervising individual PhD studentships, we also participate in interdisciplinary PhD programmes, including:
- BBSRC White Rose Doctoral Training Programme in Mechanistic Biology
- MRC Discovery Medicine North Doctoral Training Programme
- UKRI: BBSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Engineering Biology for Biomedicine
- EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecules to Product (closed to new applicants)
- EU Doctoral Network in glycobiology, GLYCOCALYX (closed to new applicants)
Contact us
If you are interested in collaborating with us, joining our research team, or holding a fellowship in Leeds, please get in touch with a relevant member of staff. For general enquiries, contact Adam Nelson, the head of the CBH section, via A.S.Nelson@leeds.ac.uk.