Following the first FoldNetUK funding round, the FoldNetUK International Advisory Board approved two successful bids for Pilot Research Projects:
Modelling the knotting of donor-acceptor phosphoestamers
FoldNetUK member: Dr Christopher Serpell, University College London, United Kingdom
Collaborating group: Dr Alexander de Vrie, University of Groningen, Netherlands
This project combined Dr Christopher Serpell’s experimental approach with Dr Alexander de Vrie’s expertise in modelling foldamers using molecular dynamics and coarse-grained models. Specifically, the project used aromatic donor–acceptor interactions to create molecular knots according to the sequence of the monomers. Through this funding, Dr Laura Gravener, a Postdoctoral Researcher, attended a workshop at the University of Groningen on the use of the Martini force field and its applications. She spent a second week at the university putting these lessons into practice for this system (with Dr Serpell joining discussions over this period by video call), and will now implement the skills at UCL and proceed with a combined computational–experimental workflow under joint supervision.
Design of mini-proteins for β-strand mediated PPIs
FoldNetUK member: Dr Andy Wilson, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Collaborating group: Prof Dek Woolfson, Woolfson Group, Centre for Protein Design, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
The objective of this pilot project is for Ailsa Macrae (PhD candidate in the Wilson group) to visit the Woolfson group at the Centre for Protein Design in Copenhagen to develop skills in computational protein design and generate preliminary designs for inhibitors of β-strand mediated protein–protein interactions. A range of approaches will be pursued, including the use of ISAMBARD and MPNN. The designed mini-proteins (>25 amino acids) will be chemically synthesized in Birmingham following the visit and tested for binding to target proteins in biophysical assays, to establish proof-of-concept for design of inhibitors of β-strand mediated PPIs.
About the Pilot Research Projects Fund
The Pilot Research Projects Fund supports UK-based researchers to initiate new collaborations by either visiting another national or international research group or hosting external expertise within their own lab. The goal of the scheme is to catalyse partnerships that lead to high-impact publications, competitive grant applications, and meaningful knowledge exchange.
The fund is open year-round and reviewed in regular cycles, alongside other opportunities such as the Focus Workshops, Early Career Travel Bursaries, Outreach Funds, and Early Career Focus Meetings. Members of the foldamers community are strongly encouraged to explore these schemes and submit proposals for consideration.