Dr Peter Cragg and Dr Marcus Allen
Ion transport across cell membranes is a crucial biological process that powers chemical reactions within cells. We are interested in transmembrane transport mechanisms and the triggers for channel activity. Our work has focused on cation channels, specifically for potassium and sodium, and follows two approaches.
We are investigating natural ion channel-forming proteins, in particular the maxi-K protein (with Oxford University), and the activity of novel oestrogenic compounds on endogenous ion channels.
We also make complex molecules that behave like ion channels so that we can see which chemical features affect ion transport. We have identified particular structuralmotifs that seemed to be necessary to select sodium over other metals. The research, funded by the EPSRC and the Royal Society, has generated a new class of artificial ion channels. These latest discoveries have been presented at the Joint International Symposium on Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry in Victoria, Canada, in 2006 and published the details in Chemical Communications in 2007. Our philosophy is outlined in a review article for Science Progress and a Dalton Transactions Frontiers article, the cover of which illustrates our approach.
