The University of Sheffield
Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

Research in Biochemistry and Genomics

research collage ! The Biochemistry and Genomics Group has four overlapping areas involving research into Nucleic acid and protein science, Photosynthesis and plant molecular sciences, Molecular immunology, and Gene expression

Molecular immunology

Nucleic acid and protein science

Research themes in Molecular immunology

  • The use of antibody biotechnology in research and medicine;
  • Studies on the molecular basis of the immune response in health and disease;
  • Structural and functional analysis of leukocyte membrane proteins;
  • Investigation of immunological mechanisms in allergic and parasitic diseases;
  • Molecular approaches to the design of new treatments for allergy and asthma.

Research themes in Nucleic acid and protein science

  • The development of rapid methods for mutation detection, as in breast cancer or other genetic disorders;
  • The use of modern methods in protein science to establish function;
  • The development of novel strategies for the directed evolution of proteins;
  • Investigations of the regulation at a molecular level of the absorption and transport of lipids;
  • Molecular studies on targets for the development of novel pharmaceuticals.
  • Molecular mechanisms of protein folding and assembly of proteins into large complexes
  • Investigations into the protein mis-folding and mis-assembly processes causing amyloidoses such as Alzheimer's disease

Photosynthesis and plant molecular sciences

Gene expression

Research themes in Photosynthesis and plant molecular sciences

  • Understanding mechanisms of plant cell signalling and intracellular communication;
  • Investigating the structure, function and dynamics of photosynthetic membranes;
  • Determining the molecular basis of how plants respond and adapt to changing environmental conditions;
  • Developing exploitation of plants in areas of biotechnology and medicine;
  • Studying the biochemistry and enzymology of pigment biosynthesis.

Research themes in Gene Expression

  • Nucleocytoplasmic transport of cellular and viral mRNA in higher eukaryotes;
  • Large scale cDNA sequencing;
  • RNA interference technologies.
  • RNA processing and mRNA stability

 

The determination of the genome sequences of a wide range of organisms is presenting new and exciting challenges to research in Biochemistry - in this post-genomic era there is an urgent need to mine the information contained in these sequences, a task made much more difficult since many genes encode proteins of currently unknown function. In the search to understand how complex organisms function it will be necessary firstly to find out about the individual genes and proteins, and secondly to elucidate how they interact with their cellular partners under different developmental and environmental conditions. To meet this challenge requires the development of more rapid and efficient biochemical technologies for characterising the properties of these macromolecules. Genomics, proteomics and metabolomics have to be accompanied by similarly efficient investigations of macromolecular, cellular and organismal function. This presents an unprecedented opportunity for Biochemistry to unite with other disciplines in the pursuit of new approaches and novel technologies. Research in Biochemistry in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology is organised into three overlapping areas, with opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations with other groups, within the Department, and in other Departments.