Red Cell Physical Properties in Health and Disease
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Publications
Lechner BD
(2022)
The Effects of Cholesterol Oxidation on Erythrocyte Plasma Membranes: A Monolayer Study.
in Membranes
Terakosolphan W
(2018)
Glycerol Solvates DPPC Headgroups and Localizes in the Interfacial Regions of Model Pulmonary Interfaces Altering Bilayer Structure.
in Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
| Description | To date, we have carried out a broad survey of the effect of oxidative stress on the properties of model red blood cell membranes using molecular dynamics simulations. We have investigated how the various possible oxidative products effect the mechanical and structural properties of these membranes. Also we have investigated how these various products affect the interfacial properties of the lipid membranes as well. Also, we are working with our experimental collaborators in Exeter to provide a detailed atomistic description of some of the structural phenomena they observe within the same model membranes experimentally. We now have two manuscripts in preparation for submission to journals for publication. Also, the results from this project have led us to prepare another proposal for further funding for a related topic which we are about to submit to UKRI. |
| Exploitation Route | There are potentially three more papers that could be generated based on the work done for this project. We have submitted another proposal which builds on the collaboration established in this project which is currently under review at EPSRC. |
| Sectors | Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Title | In Silico Models of Red Blood Cell Membranes |
| Description | Creation of model red blood cells for molecular dyanmics simulations, also models based on diseased membranes (cholesterol and phospholipid oxidation) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Allows analysis on the red blood cell membranes, used for collaborative calculations with Kent University. |
| Description | Marcelli Kent |
| Organisation | University of Kent |
| Department | School of Physical Sciences |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The simulations that we are carrying out will be used as an input into a coarse-grain model generated by Gianluca Marcelli's group. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Their expertise in modelling a whole red blood cell will be critical in linking our results at the atomistic and molecular scale to the experiments carried out in Peter Winlove's and Peter Petrov's groups in Exeter. |
| Impact | To date the collaboration has not generated any outputs yet, but as the post doc just started in Kent this should not be too surprising. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Petrov - Exeter |
| Organisation | University of Exeter |
| Department | Living Systems Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Our simulations are directly targetted at mimicking the systems which are being investigated experimentally so that we can gain a molecular level understanding of the phenomena being investigated experimentally. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They will carry out various experiments to characterise the effect of disease on red blood cell membranes, ranging from model lipid monolayers to bilayers to whole red blood cells. The data from these experiments will be used in combination with the data from our simulations to parameterise the whole red blood cell model generated in Gianluca Marcelli's group. |
| Impact | As of now we have not had any outputs as of yet. This is a multi-disciplinary collaboration, while we are both in physics departments, Peter Petrov and Peter Winlove both have experimental groups who specialise in various biophysical techniques. We are a molecular dynamics simulation group. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Conference (European Biophysics) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I (Jemma Trick) attended the EBSA/IUPAB conference where I presented my work and also discussed with other researchers my work on this project |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Conference (International workshop on biomembranes) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Jemma Trick, my postdoc, attended this international workshop to present the early stages of her work and get some input and inform the audience of our activity. She gained some useful suggestions for further applications and also a lot of positive comments regarding study. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.cecam.org/workshop-1-1330.html |
| Description | Conference - (International Biosurfaces --- Catalonia) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 150-200 academics/students (postgrad and undergrad), members of industry with whom I discussed a lot of collaborative initiatives that resulted from the interest in my presentation. These talks are now resulting in actual projects and soon more papers/proposals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://mimeresearch.com/biointerfaces2017/ |
| Description | Conference - (International CCP5 AGM 2017 - Glasgow) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 100+ academics/postgraduate students/postdocs/industry members attended the CCP5 conference last year in Glasgow, several conversations resulted from industry about potential of simulations for their systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.strath.ac.uk/engineering/chemicalprocessengineering/ccp5-agm-2017/ |
| Description | Invited talk at AMRS in Gabonne |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Gave an invited talk at the African Materials Research Society Meeting in Gabonne, Botswana |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Talk at CCP5/CCPBioSim Joint Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Gave talk at the Joint CCP5/CCPBioSim meeting. Resulted in two further collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Talk at FEBS Workshop on Biointerfaces |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 80 international scientists (PIs/Postdocs/PhD students/MSc Students) were in attendance during my talk at the FEBS meeting, and it generated a lot of interest in our work, and has led to further collaborations with people in attendance. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://biointerfaces2019.febsevents.org/ |
| Description | Workshop - (Physics of Life at Durham) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 75 attendees from across various disciplines in academia and a few industry members. I had a lot of fruitful conversations which have set the foundation for future joint projects and depending on initial success then future proposals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.physicsoflife.org.uk/nanofluidics.html |