Materials and Fundamental Applications

Thompson Group research focuses on structure guided rational design to synthesise molecules that address problems in biology, medicine and materials. The research programme includes:

Protein-protein interaction inhibition
Tools to interrogate protein misfolding conditions
Abiotic foldamers: programmable 3D architectures

Professor Turner's interests lie in the field of molecular recognition, and in particular the development of artificial recognition elements. Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIP) are a simple elegant biomimetic technology where recognition sites, analogous to the binding sites of antibodies, enzymes and receptors are created in polymeric materials containing complementary functionality to a target molecule. After preparation cavities that are complementary to the shape and chemical profile of the target are formed allowing specific recognition and rebinding.
MIPs represent a generic, versatile, scalable and cost-effective approach to the creation of synthetic molecular receptors; and are rapidly becoming commercially relevant.

Professor Ian Hamley is Diamond Professor of Physical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Reading.

Dr Alison Edwards is the Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the Universities of Greenwich and Kent at Medway.

Professor Christopher A Hunter FRS is the Herchel Smith Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Emmanuel College. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society and an Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy.

Edina Rosta is a Professor of Molecular Modelling in the Condensed Matter & Materials Physics group of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London.

Professor Craig Butts is the Head of the School of Chemistry and Professor of Structural and Mechanistic Chemistry at the University of Bristol. The Butts Research Group tackles challenges based around organic molecular structure and reaction mechanism, principally using NMR spectroscopy - the most information-rich analytical technique available to chemists.

Harry Anderson has led an independent research group at the University of Oxford since 1995. His research topics include porphyrin-based molecular wires, cyclodextrin polyrotaxanes, insulated molecular wires, encapsulated π-systems, template-directed synthesis, multivalent cooperativity, nanorings, polyynes, new carbon allotropes and functional dyes.

Dr Andrew Marsh has been making molecules for applications in supramolecular and biological systems since the last century. His current research interests include applications of guanosine quartets for delivery of potential therapeutics, inhibitors of RNA viruses and associated problems in medicinal chemistry.

Jamie Lewis is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Associate Professor in Supramolecular Chemistry at the University of Birmingham. His group's research interests are broadly in the design and synthesis of functional supramolecular molecules and materials, including organic and metal-organic cages, coordination polymers, and mechanically interlocked molecules.