Research overview
Our team explores two main themes: the design of peptide‑based chemical tools to address challenges in biology and medicine that are poorly served by traditional small molecules, and exploiting fluorinated chemical tools and 19F NMR to probe biological interactions and dynamics associated with disease. In many cases, lab members work across both areas and in collaboration with researchers in computational chemistry, pharmacology, microscopy and medicine.
Key research topics
1. Peptide-based medicinal chemistry
We design and synthesise peptides, including constrained and macrocyclic architectures, to achieve high target affinity, selectivity, and bio-stability. Our work explores how peptide sequence, topology, and chemical modification influence biological activity and drug‑like properties. This has also led to the development of new peptide synthesis methods. This work is often conducted in collaboration with computational chem and pharmacology colleagues.
Specific drug targets of interest include:
- Class-B G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), that bind endogenous peptide hormones/neurotransmitters and play a role in neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. A main challenge here, is achieving target selectivity, along with drug-like properties.
- Bacterial transcription factors, in which short synthetic peptides block transcription of virulence genes, rather than acting via bacteriocidal mechanisms.
2. Fluorinated tools for chemical biology
Organic fluorine is essentially absent in biology, and the fluorine-19 (19F) nucleus is similarly sensitive to proton (1H) for NMR and is highly sensitive to changes in its local environment. This makes 19F NMR a valuable technique for studying fluorinated probes in complex mixtures. We use 19F NMR coupled with synthetic fluorinated probes to detect such interactions for:
- Fragment-based drug discovery
- Studying drug stability and diffusion in biological matrices
- Studying peptide conformational preferences
- Studying protein aggregation
3. Translational and applied chemical biology
A central goal of the lab is to translate chemical insight into real‑world impact. This includes the development of peptide and fluorinated tools for diagnostics, therapeutic discovery, and biomedical research, often in collaboration with industrial partners and clinicians.
Funding and collaborations
Our research is supported by UK research councils, charities, and industrial partners, and we actively collaborate across the University of Edinburgh and beyond. We are particularly interested in interdisciplinary collaborations that link chemistry with biology, medicine, and data‑driven approaches.
