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Oxford Chemistry has been highlighted in a new film by ITN Productions for the Chemical Industries Association, featuring key interviews with some of our researchers who work closely with industry. In Solutions For Our Future, journalist Sue Saville talks with members of the Department to discover how innovative research in chemistry has positive and sustainable impacts in the real world. Graham Richards, Hagan Bayley (Oxford Nanopore Technologies), Dermot O’Hare (SCG-Oxford Centre of Excellence), Martin Smith and students from the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Synthesis for Biology and Medicine (SBM CDT) discuss spinout companies, industrial partnerships and a ground-breaking Centre for Doctoral Training.
#SolutionsForOurFuture
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Increasing Crop Yields for Global Food Security
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SugaROx is a new spinout company arisen from a collaboration between Prof Ben Davis and Dr Matthew Paul at Rothamsted Research.
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The team has developed a first-in-class chemical solution for increasing crop yields to keep up with the increasing global food demand. By joining together a sugar molecule essential for yield formation in plants (Trehalose-6-phosphate, T6P) and a light-cleavable group that allows membrane permeation, this new technology enables targeted increase in T6P to elevate the capacity for starch synthesis and increase photosynthetic rate.
A glass-house trial conducted on wheat showed increased grain size and yield per plant by up to 20%. In addition to this, the T6P precursors also stimulate growth recovery after drought, allow control of specific processes, such as flowering time, and screening for genetic variation in processes that determine yield. Large-scale field trials are now in progress in both the UK and Australia before moving to other parts of the world, and a scaleable synthesis has allowed ready access to the quantities of precursors needed.
Prof Ben Davis explains: “We have a long term vision for the synthetic control of Biology by using chemical bond-forming and bond-breaking inside living systems. The potential to control plant function by using precise photochemistry performed inside living plants is, for us, an exciting demonstration that such chemical methods can and will have profound functional effects in physiology. The application here to the ‘rescue’ and enhancement of crop plants also addresses key grand challenges and demonstrates the power of Chemistry for societal good.”
In April 2018, the SugaROx team were invited to pitch at the Investment Catalyst hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry and UK Business Angels Associations. The presentation was well received and SugaROx are now in discussions with a number of investors who would like to support the company going forward.
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Prof Ben Davis FRS's research centres on the chemical understanding and exploitation of biomolecular function, especially carbohydrates and proteins. Interests and methods encompass organic synthesis & methodology, target biomolecule synthesis, inhibitor/probe/substrate design, biocatalysis, enzyme & biomolecule mechanism, biosynthetic pathway determination, protein engineering, drug delivery, molecular biology, structural biology, cell biology, molecular imaging and in vivo biology. The application of an understanding of such systems on a fundamental level leads to the design, synthesis and modification of potential therapeutic and biotechnologically applicable systems.
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Making Light Work of Weighing Molecules
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Arago Biosciences & Profs Philipp Kukura and Justin Benesch
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Arago offers a novel technique that allows the detection, imaging and quantification of single molecules using light, without using any labels or matrices, and using small instruments that are close to shoeboxes in size.
Interferometric scattering mass spectrometry (iSCAMS) is an optimised form of light microscopy whereby the light scattered by a single protein can be measured. It works on the basis that amino acids, the protein subunits, are all roughly of the same density and have similar masses. A protein with twice as many amino acids will therefore produce twice the scattering signal when detected interferometrically; through this technique it is possible to measure the mass of single protein molecules to within 2% of their true masses.
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Arago Biosciences: Making light work of weighing molecules
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“The scattering signal observed is proportional to the polarisability of the molecule and therefore the number of amino acids present,” Prof Kukura explains. “The greater the number of amino acids present in the protein, the greater the scattering of light observed.” The technique has thus far been used to image and determine the mass of a range of biomolecules weighing between 50 and 800kDa, including polypeptides, glycosylated proteins and lipoproteins. In addition, iSCAMS can also be used to follow the molecular dynamics of molecules in solution in real time, for example showing how protein units join together or fall apart.
This approach has the potential to revolutionise the characterisation of molecular interactions, making it of particular interest to the pharmaceutical and biomedical research sectors. For example, iSCAMS has been used to detect the aggregation of alpha-synuclein, which is associated with Parkinson’s disease. By using a pioneering method to selectively suppress the background signal (i.e. the light observed from sources that aren’t protein molecules) without interfering with the molecular signal, this innovative imaging technology displays a high enough mass resolution, accuracy and precision to be applicable to life sciences and eventually diagnostics. The creation of the new spinout company will enable this imaging technology to be made available to a wide range of businesses and researchers.
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Prof Justin Benesch's research is focussed on structural and dynamical biology. His research group performs experiments primarily using cutting-edge MS techniques, but also combine these measurements with crystallographic, electron microscopic and nuclear magnetic resonance, as well as a variety of sophisticated computational tools. Currently his work is focused on investigating protein misfolding and deposition, which can lead to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and in particular the molecular mechanisms of how they are kept in check by the natural defences of the cell.
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Prof Philipp Kukura's group develops and applies new optical methodologies to study (bio)molecular structure and dynamics. A particular focus rests on the use of light scattering to visualise and quantify the energetics and kinetics of biomolecular interactions. Central to these efforts is the universality of light scattering, making it applicable to all forms of matter and its close correlation with mass, which provides direct information on molecular identity. The result is a comparatively low-resolution combination of cryo-EM and native mass spectrometry, but with the distinct advantage of dynamic solution operation, single molecule sensitivity and imaging capability.
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Creating New Value from Waste for the Plastics Industry
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Econic Technologies & Prof Charlotte Williams
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Prof Charlotte Williams and her research team work with a range of industries on the conversion of carbon dioxide into useful chemicals. In one area, the team are developing new homogeneous catalysts that allow carbon dioxide copolymerization with epoxides to produce useful polymers. The catalysts developed by the Williams team allow up to 50% of the polymer mass to derive from CO2. The group discovered catalysts that operate in a totally different pressure regime and can efficiently take-up CO2 at pressures as low as 1 bar. Because the catalysts operate by living polymerization it’s straightforward to control the polymer’s molar mass and end-group chemistry.
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Schematic illustration of CO2-containing polymers
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In 2011, Williams founded Econic Technologies and she continues to work with them to commercialize CO2transformation into polycarbonate polyols. Econic’s catalyst technology is highly tuneable and allows tailoring of the substitution of fossil fuel-based raw materials with waste CO2. The substitution of petrochemicals allows plastics manufacturers to reduce reliance on more expensive raw materials, while also creating added value through use of a much cheaper waste product. Economically, the technology delivers raw material cost savings of over $10M for a typical 50 kte/yr production unit, with retrofit investment on existing assets paid back within 2 years. Because the catalysts operate in this unique low pressure regime, it is compatible with retro-fit of existing polymer manufacturing plants. The environmental benefits have also been carefully benchmarked: for every tonne of carbon dioxide used, a further two tonnes of emissions are avoided through replacing the petrochemicals. The products are used in areas as diverse as construction, automotive, electrical, clothing, and furniture industries. The CO2-containing polymers show a range of performance benefits over conventional materials, including better photochemical and water stability.
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Some of the Econic team, including Dr Rowena Sellens (CEO, second LHS) and Dr Michael Kember (Research Manager, Oxford Chemistry MChem 2007, second RHS).
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Econic’s team includes >30 scientists and engineers working in laboratories in the north west of the UK. Their laboratories and headquarters are located at the Alderley Park science park (Macclesfield) and the company recently opened the UK’s first carbon capture and utilization demonstrator facility in Runcorn (Liverpool). Econic is actively engaged with global polyol producers across North America, Europe and Asia. The company has secured >£15M investment and a recent £2M H2020 grant. Current investors include IP Group Plc, Woodford Investment Management, Jetstream Ventures and the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative Ventures (OGCI).
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Prof Charlotte William's group studies metal complexes for use as homogeneous catalysts to make polymers, fuels and materials. She is motivated to discover how to use and recycle renewable resources, such as plants or carbon dioxide, to make useful products such a polymers. In collaboration with other research groups worldwide, new polymers from her research have been evaluated for applications including as rigid plastics, elastomers, coatings, fibre-reinforced composites, matrices for tissue engineering, antimicrobial surfaces and as self-assembled nanostructure in controlled release.
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Collaboration Opportunities
We are open to a variety of collaborative relationships to allow industrial partners to gain access to the Department’s world-leading expertise and facilities. If you are interested in partnering with Oxford Chemistry, have a look at our new industry-facing website. Alternatively, please contact Dr Rachel MacCoss to discuss how to collaborate with us.
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Facilities and Services to Industry
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New Chemistry Teaching Laboratories
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This October saw the launch of the new, integrated chemistry practical course in our brand new, state-of-the art teaching labs. The two main labs are spread over two floors, and can each accommodate 100 students. In addition, there is a large seminar room equipped with the latest audio-visual equipment, two write-up areas and a bright and welcoming reception area.
The brand new analytical suite houses equipment worth over £2M for undergraduate use, made possible by generous contributions from Shimadzu, as well as Advion, GPE/Nanalysis and Bruker, amongst others. In addition to a multinuclear NMR spectrometer, there are three gas chromatographs, an HPLC set up for analysing chiral compounds, a TLC-mass spec, ICP/MS, Flame AA and of course the usual array of FT-IR and UV-Vis spectrometers. Moreover, our undergraduates will be some of the first in the UK to use the new generation of bench-top NMR spectrometers – seven are available in the two laboratories.
For Director of Teaching Laboratories Dr Malcolm Stewart, October 2018 sees the fruition of a dream that has been a long time in the making: “Back in 2006 I presented a vision of breaking down the traditional barriers between inorganic, organic, and physical and theoretical chemistry in practical teaching – not easily realised when practical chemistry is taught in three different labs in separate buildings.”
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Since the new labs received the go-ahead, a team of developers chaired by Prof Claire Vallance has been working on new experiments that better fit the ethos of an integrated course. The emphasis of the new course is on synthesis and measurement (in its widest possible sense) combined in a single experiment, as exemplified by a recently-developed inorganic experiment on interhalogens: students will still have to make various interhalogen compounds and analyse them for purity, but now they will also investigate the reaction of these compounds with alkenes to get information about the regioselectivity of the addition, which can be monitored by NMR spectroscopy. Students will be encouraged to work in groups to collect data and solve problems rather than simply following recipes.
Prof Mark Brouard, Head of Department, says: ‘The Chemistry Teaching Labs will enable us to provide the very best educational experience for Chemistry undergraduates, facilitating cutting-edge new interdisciplinary experiments that mirror the collaborative nature of our research programmes. I am grateful to all those whose dedication and commitment has made this possible, and delighted that students will be able to benefit from this state-of-the-art facility for years to come.’
Much of this has been made possible through the generous support and sponsorship of industry and alumni, to whom both staff and students are immensely grateful. Thanks to their generosity, we are delighted to be able to offer one of the most innovative and modern practical courses in the UK.
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Research and Education Highlights
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A Selection of Joint Publications with Industry
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Prof Harry Anderson with IBM
Polyyne formation via skeletal rearrangement induced by atomic manipulation
Nature Chemistry 2018, 10, 853–858.
Prof Tim Claridge with Bruker UK Ltd
Molecular structure from a single NMR supersequence
Chemical Communications 2018, 54, 7139-7142.
Profs Hagan Bayley, Justin Benesch and Carol Robinson with OMass
Lipid binding attenuates channel closure of the outer membrane protein OmpF
PNAS 2018, 115, 6691-6696.
Dr Emily Flashman and Profs Chris Schofield, Shabaz Mohammed with Novartis and AbbVie
YcfDRM is a thermophilic oxygen-dependent ribosomal protein uL16 oxygenase
Extremophiles 2018, 22, 553.
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Industry Sponsored Undergraduate Prizes and Awards 2018
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Oxford Chemistry is grateful to the generous support from our sponsors for the following undergraduate awards and prizes.
Examination Prizes
- Preliminary Examination in Chemistry: Sponsored by Bruker
- Part IA: Sponsored by ABInBev and O.U.P.
- Part II: Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (organic chemistry) and Photonics Solutions (physical and theoretical chemistry)
Practical Prizes
- Part IB: For experimental work and written submission, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (organic chemistry).
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