About the Project
Most biological processes on our planet are modulated by proteins, polymers made up of 20 naturally occurring amino acids. However, naturally occurring amino acids lack numerous chemical functional groups, such as aldehydes, ketones, alkenes and alkynes. Introducing such functional groups into the genetic code can lead to development of proteins with novel functions for applications in biochemistry, biotechnology, medicine and biofuels. Recent developments in genetic encoding of unnatural amino acids in live cells and animals is providing new ways to control and regulate biological processes (ref. 1-5). Despite their potential in widespread applications, the use of unnatural amino acids to develop therapeutically important proteins is still in its infancy. The aim of this PhD project is to develop such biologics.
The successful applicant will be a talented biochemist or chemist with enthusiasm for chemistry, chemical biology, and molecular biology. They will work at the forefront of chemical and synthetic biology and will develop advanced skills in chemical synthesis, various molecular biology and analytical techniques, including molecular cloning, protein expression and purification, gel electrophoresis, western blotting, and HPLC. The research work will be performed in the Chemical and Synthetic Biology laboratories housed in the School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia under the supervision of Dr Amit Sachdeva.
The project may be available at an earlier start date of 1 April or 1 July 2017 but this should be discussed with the primary supervisor in the first instance.
Funding Notes
This PhD project is offered on a self-funding basis. It is open to applicants with funding or those applying to funding sources. Details of tuition fees can be found at http://www.uea.ac.uk/pgresearch/pgrfees.
A bench fee is also payable on top of the tuition fee to cover specialist equipment or laboratory costs required for the research. The amount charged annually will vary considerably depending on the nature of the project and applicants should contact the primary supervisor for further information about the fee associated with the project.
References
1. A. Sachdeva, K. Wang, T.S. Elliott and J.W. Chin. (2014) Concerted, rapid, quantitative and site-specific dual labeling of protein. Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), 136, 7785.
2. K. Wang*, A. Sachdeva*, D.J. Cox, N.W. Wilf, K. Lang, S. Wallace R.A. Mehl and J.W. Chin. (2014) Optimized orthogonal translation of unnatural amino acids enables spontaneous protein double labelling and FRET. Nature Chemistry, 6, 393. (*=Co-first authors)
3. T.S. Elliott, F.M. Townsley, A. Bianco, R.J. Ernst, A. Sachdeva, S.J. Elsässer, L. Davis, K. Lang, R. Pisa, S. Greiss, Kathryn S. Lilley and J.W. Chin. (2014) Proteome Labeling and Protein Identification in Specific Tissues and at Specific Development Stages in an Animal. Nature Biotechnology, 32, 465.
4. D.T. Rogerson, A. Sachdeva, K. Wang, T. Haq, A. Kazlauskaite, S.M. Hancock, N. Huguenin-Dezot, M.M.K. Muqit, A.M. Fry, R. Bayliss and and J.W. Chin. (2015) Efficient genetic encoding of phosphoserine and its non-hydrolyzable analog. Nature Chemical Biology, 11, 496.
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