Dr Adam Brown
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Senior Lecturer
PGR Progression Tutor

+44 114 222 7608
Full contact details
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Room G54
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
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I obtained a first class honours degree in Molecular Biology and Virology from the University of Warwick in 2008, and a PhD from the University of Sheffield in 2014. Following my PhD, I worked in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Sheffield, first as a Postdoctoral Research Associate (2014 – 2017), and then as a Research Fellow (2017).
In 2018 I was appointed as Lecturer in DNA Engineering, and subsequently as Senior Lecturer in 2021. My research group focusses on designing synthetic genetic constructs to control and analyse cellular processes, applying the ‘measure-model-manipulate-manufacture’ engineering design cycle to create DNA components with industry-required functionalities.
My lab is currently utilising > £1 million in research funding to create novel synthetic components for biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing systems. I use these projects and associated industry links to deliver research-led teaching (Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing) to our Level 3 and MSc students. The quality of this teaching has been recognised with Commendations for Teaching Excellence in 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2018-19, in addition to receiving the Best Lecturer Prize (Level 3) in 2019-20.
- Research interests
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- Designing synthetic genetic constructs
- Controlling and analysing mammalian gene/protein expression
- Engineering cell factories
- Biomanufacturing of therapeutic proteins and gene/cell therapies
- Mammalian synthetic biology
I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students and PDRAs. If you are interested in projects in any of the above research areas, contact me for further information.
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Bioinformatic design of dendritic cell-specific synthetic promoters. ACS Synthetic Biology, 11(4), 1613-1626.
- Control of Multigene Expression Stoichiometry in Mammalian Cells Using Synthetic Promoters.. ACS Synth Biol.
- Design of synthetic promoters for controlled expression of therapeutic genes in retinal pigment epithelial cells.. Biotechnol Bioeng.
- A platform for context-specific genetic engineering of recombinant protein production by CHO cells. Journal of Biotechnology, 312, 11-22.
- CHO Genome Mining for Synthetic Promoter Design. Journal of Biotechnology. View this article in WRRO
- Whole synthetic pathway engineering of recombinant protein production. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 116(2), 375-387. View this article in WRRO
- In silico design of context-responsive mammalian promoters with user-defined functionality. Nucleic Acids Research, 45(18), 10906-10919. View this article in WRRO
- Transcriptome-based identification of the optimal reference CHO genes for normalisation of qPCR data. Biotechnology Journal. View this article in WRRO
- Constructing Strong Cell Type-Specific Promoters Through Informed Design, 131-145.
- Precision control of recombinant gene transcription for CHO cell synthetic biology. Biotechnology Advances, 34(5), 492-503.
- NF-κB, CRE and YY1 elements are key functional regulators of CMV promoter-driven transient gene expression in CHO cells. Biotechnology Journal, 10(7), 1019-1028.
- Synthetic promoters for CHO cell engineering. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 111(8), 1638-1647.
- Block decoys: Transcription-factor decoys designed for in vitro gene regulation studies. Analytical Biochemistry, 443(2), 205-210.
- Production of Trimeric SARS‐CoV‐2 Spike Protein by CHO Cells for Serological COVID‐19 Testing. Biotechnology and Bioengineering.
Chapters
- Protein Therapeutics Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA
- Expression Systems for Recombinant Biopharmaceutical Production by Mammalian Cells in Culture, Methods and Principles in Medicinal Chemistry (pp. 423-467). Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA
Patents
- Bioinformatic design of dendritic cell-specific synthetic promoters. ACS Synthetic Biology, 11(4), 1613-1626.
- Grants
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I currently have eleven active research grants, totalling over £1 million (apportioned income) in external funding (6x PI, 4x Co-PI, 3x Co-I). Supported by both UKRI and biopharmaceutical companies my lab is currently utilising this research funding to develop synthetic biological components for i) enhanced production of therapeutic proteins, nucleic acids and viral vectors, and ii) improved performance of gene therapies. I am also a founding director of a spin-out company which provides synthetic genetic components for the biopharmaceutical industry.
- Teaching activities
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I currently lead a module on Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing (CPE336/CPE6043), and supervise 4th Year BioEng/ChemEng and MSc research projects (CPE440/CPE6011). Awards: Commendation for Teaching Excellence - 2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19; Best Lecturer (Level 3) – 2019/20