Current Research

Biomimetic antifreeze polymers

Antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) are essential for preventing ice-induced death in polar fish, and function at concentrations far lower than would be required for conventional (toxic) antifreezes such as DMSO or ethylene glycol. A promising application of AFGPs, or their mimics, could be improved cryostorage of cells, stem cells or even whole organs. AFGPs could also be used to increase crop production in cool climates and to enhance the texture and improve the storage of frozen foods. So far, AFGPs have not been widely exploited due to the difficulties associated with their isolation from natural sources and the challenges of total synthesis. Recent work in the Gibson group has developed a series of synthetic polymers which display AFGP properties.

This project aims to elucidate the molecular-level mechanisms of antifreeze active synthetic polymers and use this information to develop novel macromolecules with well-defined, optimised properties. Each stage is achieved by a combination of modern polymer chemistry and state-of-the-art computer simulations.

COLLABORATORS:

• Thomas Congdon, Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick.
• Dr. Matthew Gibson, Department of Chemistry, Universityof Warwick.
• Dr. David Quigley, Department of Physics, University of Warwick.

Further details can be found detailing my research at Notman Group Research Interests

 

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Previous Research

Quartz Crystal Microbalance (with Dissonance Monitoring) of glycopolymer-lectin interactions

My research focused on the acquisition of binding data of glycoproteins interactions using Quartz Crystal Microbalance (with Dissonance monitoring). Glycopolymers are naturally abundant on cell surfaces, but these are more commonly known as polysaccharides and polyglycolipids. Recently, synthetic glycopolymers have become increasingly popular because of their biocompatible properties and so there has been increasing research into their use in drug releasing systems and tissue engineering^[i]. They are also widely used for investigating glycopolymer—lectin interactions^[ii]. A frequently explored example is the battle against infectious diseases like HIV and Cholera via competitive inhibition.

COLLABORATORS:

• Prof. Dave Haddleton, Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick.
• Dr. Remzi Becer, Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick.

 

Main Supervisors:

Dr. Rebecca Notman

Department of Chemistry,

University of Warwick,

Gibbet Hill Rd,

Coventry CV4 7AL

Tel: +44 (0)2476 50889

Email: r.notman@warwick.ac.uk

Office: G-block, Rm 2.

Dr. Matthew Gibson

Tel: +44 (0)2476 524803

Email: m.i.gibson@warwick.ac.uk

Office: C block, C116