A synbio approach to generate artificial molecular muscles

About the Project

These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying.

“Molecular muscles” is a term referring to molecules that can contract and stretch under a chemical signal. These compounds are very interesting and have wide applications especially in nanotechnology. Available systems are complex as the contraction / expansion cycle is often achieved through a series of chemical exchanges and most of them are not amenable to lengthening by polymerisation to reach meso- or macro- scale contractions.

In this studentship, we will develop a synthetic biology approach to generate novel peptide-based molecular muscles that don’t suffer from the above drawbacks. We will harness the catalytic power of biosynthetic enzymes from the rapidly growing family of Ribosomally Produced and Post-Translationally Modified Peptides (RiPPs). Our groups have biochemically characterized and engineered several of these enzymes to allow their usage for in vitro biosynthesis. Our enzymatic toolbox currently includes macrocyclases, heterocyclases, prenyltransferases and peptide ligases. Our engineered enzymes have broad substrate tolerance and can process substrates containing unnatural amino acids which make them especially attractive. The proposed system is based on repeat units of enzymatically modified peptides which are capable of changing conformation, and thus length, under a chemical signal allowing the construction of any length of molecular muscle. We will use fluorescent groups at the termini – one an electron donor and one an electron acceptor to enable the use of FRET (Fluorescence resonance energy transfer) in monitoring the change of conformation that should bring the fluorescent groups in proximity. The use of enzymes in making the required modifications will enable the sustainable, efficient and ecofriendly production of these challenging-to-synthesise compounds.

This project is multidisciplinary with elements of solid-phase peptide synthesis, protein expression and purification, molecular modelling and material testing. The project as such represents a valuable unique training opportunity for PhD students.

The project meets the criteria specified in the IB 2025 report in that it aims to solve a complex problem by translating basic knowledge of unique enzymes to provide new products and less carbon intensive processes.

Decisions will be based on academic merit. The successful applicant should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 (or equivalent) in Biochemistry or Chemistry. Experience and understanding of methods such as protein expression and purification would be an advantage. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a diverse, inclusive team.

Informal enquiries can be made by contacting Dr Houssen (w.houssen@abdn.ac.uk)

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php.

You should apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry to ensure your application is passed to the correct team for processing.

Please clearly note the name of the lead supervisor and project titleon the application form. If you do not include these details, it may not be considered for the project.

Your application must include: A personal statement, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, and clear copies of your educational certificates and transcripts.

Please note: you do not need to provide a research proposal with this application.

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at researchadmissions@abdn.ac.uk

Funding Notes

This is a self-funding project open to students worldwide. Our typical start dates for this programme are February or October.

Fees for this programme can be found here Finance and Funding | Study Here | The University of Aberdeen

Additional research costs of £6,000 per annum will be required in addition to tuition fees.