Engineering proteins to detect counterfeit molecules

At the heart of many biosensors is a protein that has been engineered to bind the target molecule. To be able to perform this function, the protein needs to bind its target with high affinity and specificity while immobilised on a sensor surface. It must also be stable under the operating conditions of the device. The aim of this project to build a new class of protein detection molecule for biosensor applications using a novel protein scaffold that has high potential for engineering. The project is a multidisciplinary collaboration between three academic research groups at the University of York (Plevin, Johnson and Agirre groups) and the biosensor company Eluceda (www.eluceda.com). You will use cutting-edge computational approaches to design protein scaffolds that bind their targets with appropriate specificity; produce candidate proteins and characterise them using different solution and surface-based assays; and evaluate promising candidates for use in commercial biosensors. You will receive a broad training across all disciplines of the project, including the latest approaches for computational protein design (e.g. AlphaFold2), techniques in structural biology, biophysics and surface-based methods for detecting molecular interactions, and the design of biosensors for commercial applications. You will also gain techno-commercial experience via secondments at Eluceda. This 4-year fully funded PhD project is ideally suited to someone interested in protein design and engineering who wants to design, build and test their ideas and see them applied to real world industrial applications.