Bioanalytical Facility

The department hosts a custom built, well-equipped analytical facility for proteomic workflows for protein and peptide analysis and characterisation of nucleic acids, nucleosides and other metabolites.

Bioanalytical laboratory
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Overview

Our expertise is bioanalysis of multiple cell systems from mammalian to algae and bacteria; working on projects within the Biological Engineering research theme.

We also collaborate on range of life science projects across faculties (Health, Science) and with external academic and industry partners. Our collaborations include other University of 91Ö±²¥ schools, including:

Our external collaborators include , University of Exeter,  and , The Czech Academy of Sciences

Industrial collaborators include Syngenta, Glaxo Smith Kline, ThermoFisher, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies and AstraZeneca.


Research areas

  • Quantitative proteomics - SILAC, metabolic labeling, iTRAQ and label free quantification
  • Protein-protein, Protein-RNA interactions - quantitative analysis of protein-protein interactions and the mRNA interactome
  • Protein post translational modifications - phosphorylation, methylation, glycosylation and histone PTMs
  • Characterisation of biotherapeutic biomolecules - biopharmaceuticals, RNA therapeutics 
  • Nucleic Acid Mass Spectrometry
  • Metaproteomics

Equipment

  • Q Exactiveâ„¢ HF hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (Thermo Scientific)-BBSRC funded
  • maXis ultra high ToF instrument (Bruker Daltonics))
  • amaZon Ion trap (Bruker Daltonics)
  • Thermo Finnigan TRACE DSQ GC-MS System 

Bioseparations

  • Agilent 7890A gas - chromatograph (GC) instrument equipped with a flame ionization detector
  • A wide range of HPLC/UPLC systems covering analytical, capillary and nano flow rates (Agilent, Thermo Scientific)

Publications

Quantitative proteomics

Kaneva IN, Longworth J, Sudbery PE & Dickman MJ (2018) . Proteomics, 18(5-6), 1700278-1700278.   

MacGregor-Chatwin C, Jackson PJ, Sener M, Chidgey JW, Hitchcock A, Qian P, Mayneord GE, Johnson MP, Luthey-Schulten Z, Dickman MJ, Scanlan DJ (2019). Nature Plants 5(8):879-89.

Krynicka V, Georg J, Jackson PJ, Dickman MJ, Hunter CN, Futschik ME, Hess WR, Komenda J. (2019).  The Plant Cell doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00411.

Jackson PJ, Lewis HJ, Tucker JD, Hunter CN & Dickman MJ (2012) . Mol Microbiol, 84(6), 1062-1078. 

Raut MP, Couto N, Pham TK, Evans C, Noirel J, Wright PC (2016) Quantitative proteomic analysis of the influence of lignin on biofuel production by Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824. Biotechnol Biofuels 9: 113

Corfe BM, Majumdar D, Assadsangabi A, Marsh AMR, Cross SS, Connolly JB, Evans CA & Lobo AJ (2015) Inflammation decreases keratin level in ulcerative colitis; inadequate post-inflammatory restoration associates with increased risk of colitis-associated-cancer. BMJ Gastroenterology 2: e000024.

Protein-protein, Protein-RNA interactions

Chidgey JW, Jackson PJ, Dickman MJ & Hunter CN (2017). PufQ regulates porphyrin flux at the haem/bacteriochlorophyll branchpoint of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis via interactions with ferrochelatase. Mol. Microbiol. 106: 961-975.

Chidgey JW, Linhartova M, Komenda J, Jackson PJ, Dickman MJ, Canniffe DP, Konik P, Pilny J, Hunter CN & Sobotka R (2014). A cyanobacterial chlorophyll synthase-HliD complex associates with the Ycf39 protein and the YidC/Alb3 insertase. The Plant Cell 26: 1267-1279.

Hollingshead S, Kopecna J, Jackson PJ, Canniffe DP, Davison PA, Dickman MJ, Sobotka R & Hunter CN (2012) Conserved chloroplast open-reading frame ycf54 is required for activity of the magnesium protoporphyrin monomethylester oxidative cyclase in Synechocystis PCC 6803. J. Biol. Chem. 287: 27823-27833.

Kaneva IN, Sudbery IM, Dickman MJ, Sudbery PE (2019). Sci Rep. 9(1):6258. 

Cooper-Knock J, Walsh MJ, Higginbottom A, Robin Highley J, Dickman MJ, Edbauer D, Ince PG, Wharton SB, Wilson SA, Kirby J , Hautbergue GM et al (2014) . Brain, 137(Pt 7), 2040-2051.   

Wiedenheft B, van Duijn E, Bultema JB, Waghmare SP, Zhou K, Barendregt A, Westphal W, Heck AJR, Boekema EJ, Dickman MJ & Doudna JA (2011) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 108(25), 10092-10097. 

Brouns SJJ, Jore MM, Lundgren M, Westra ER, Slijkhuis RJH, Snijders APL, Dickman MJ, Makarova KS, Koonin EV & van der Oost J (2008) . SCIENCE, 321(5891), 960-964.

Protein post translational modifications

Cole J, Hanson EJ, James DC, Dockrell DH & Dickman MJ (2019) Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry

Cruz-Migoni A, Hautbergue GM, Artymiuk PJ, Baker PJ, Bokori-Brown M, Chang C-T, Dickman MJ, Essex-Lopresti A, Harding SV, Mahadi NM , Marshall LE et al (2011) Science, 334(6057), 821-824. 

Couto, N., Davlyatova, L., Evans, C.A. and Wright, P.C., 2018. . Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 32(2), pp.75-85.

Strutton B, Jaffé SRP, Pandhal J & Wright PC (2017) . Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.  

Evans CA, Rosser R, Waby JS, Noirel J, Lai D, Wright PC, Williams EA, Riley SA, Bury JP and Corfe BM. (2015) Reduced keratin expression in colorectal neoplasia and associated fields is reversible by both diet and resection. BMJ Gastroenterology 2: e000022 

Dickman MJ, Kucharski R, Maleszka R & Hurd PJ (2013) Insect Biochem Mol Biol, 43(2), 125-137.  

Snijders APL, Hung M-L, Wilson SA & Dickman MJ (2010) . J Am Soc Mass Spectrom, 21(1), 88-96.  

Snijders APL, Pongdam S, Lambert SJ, Wood CM, Baldwin JP & Dickman MJ (2008) . J Proteome Res, 7(10), 4326-4335.

Characterisation of biotherapeutic biomolecules

Close ED, Nwokeoji AO, Milton D, Cook K, Hindocha DM, Hook EC, Wood H & Dickman MJ (2016) . Journal of Chromatography A, 1440, 135-144.   

Strutton B, Jaffé SRP, Pandhal J & Wright PC (2017) . Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.  

Chiverton LM, Evans C, Pandhal J, Landels AR, Rees BJ, Levison PR, Wright PC & Smales CM (2016) . Biotechnology Journal, 11(8), 1014-1024.

Nucleic Acid Mass Spectrometry

Kung A-W, Kilby PM, Portwood DE & Dickman MJ (2018) . Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 32(7), 590-596.   

Nwokeoji AO, Kung A-W, Kilby PM, Portwood DE & Dickman MJ (2017) . Journal of Chromatography A, 1484, 14-25.   

Waghmare SP, Nwokeoji AO & Dickman MJ (2015) , Methods Mol Biol,1311, 133-45.  

Sinkunas T, Gasiunas G, Waghmare SP, Dickman MJ, Barrangou R, Horvath P & Siksnys V (2013) . EMBO Journal, 32(3), 385-394.   

Waghmare SP & Dickman MJ (2011) Anal Chem, 83(12), 4894-4901. 

Jore MM, Lundgren M, Van Duijn E, Bultema JB, Westra ER, Waghmare SP, Wiedenheft B, Pul U, Wurm R, Wagner R , Beijer MR et al (2011) . Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 18(5), 529-536.

Metaproteomics

Russo D, Beckerman AP, Couto N & Pandhal J (2016) . Frontiers in Microbiology, 7, 1172-1172.

Four students laughing while sat at a bench, outside the Students' Union

International scholarships

We offer a generous package of financial support for international students, including undergraduate and postgraduate taught scholarships worth £10,000 towards the annual tuition fee.

Applications are open for existing offer holders for programmes starting in autumn 2025.