The National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics

NCHM Lime Lab

 

  

 Nottingham (Sutton Bonington) Laboratory 

 

A joint Facility between the Universities of Nottingham, Sheffield Hallam, Huddersfield and Leeds

Hydrodynamics: means "water movement" and the NCMH (National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics) is a Facility for the characterisation of the sizes, shapes and interactions of large macro molecules of biomedical and industrial importance (proteins, polysaccharides, DNA, synthetic polymers etc.) in the environment that many occur naturally in water or aqueous solution.

The NCMH is a National Facility set up with a rolling RCUK grant from the SERC/ BBSRC/ EPSRC research councils.

Recent Research Highlights

 

People

Staff (Nottingham Laboratory) 

  • Prof Stephen Harding: Director of the Nottingham Laboratory of the NCMH 
  • Kieran Ellis: Research/Teaching Technician 
  • Honorary Professors: Prof. Bernardo Perez-Ramirez (Sanofi, Massachusetts); Prof. Tejash Shah (GSK Stevenage); Prof. Nicholas Darton (Astra-Zeneca, Cambridge); Prof. Jan Jezek (Arecor, Cambridge); Prof. Cleanthes Israilides (NAGREF, Athens) 
  • Honorary Associate Professors: Dr. Tony Corfield (Glycobiology); Dr. Mary Phillips-Jones (Microbial Biophysics); Dr. Immo Fiebrig (Green therapies); Tom Harding (Scientific Patenting, Potter Clarkson LLP)
  • Associate Members: Chas Jones (BioArchaeology), Susan Bishop (PA to Prof Harding)

PhD students

  • Dalal Mohammed Almutairi (University of Tabuk Scholar): Interactions between mucins and plant based food macromolecules (Supervisors: I. Fisk, S. Harding & G. Yakubov)
  • Yudong Lu (Chinese Scholar): Glycans in Food and Health (Supervisors: S. Harding, M. Phillips-Jones)

MRes Biomolecular Technology students (2024-25)

  • Genevieve Paton (UK)
  • Joe Turpin (UK)
  • Alicia Richardson (UK)
  • Michal Pilarski
  • Jathushan Baheerathan (UK)
  • Longxiao Du (China)
  • Muyang Tian (China)

  

Some Earlier Research Highlights

  • Development of the COVOL program with Dame Janet Thornton FRS for predicting/allowing for non-ideality based on protein shape (view paper 1paper 2 and view original Rallison-Harding paper)
  • Development of an algorithm for analysing mucins and other complex polydisperse and non-ideal systems using sedimentation equilibrium in the analytical ultracentrifuge (view paper
  • Development of triaxial ellipsoids as hydrodynamic models for proteins in solution using ‘hydration independent’ shape functions (view paper) and the ELLIPS suite of algorithms (view paper)
  • Development of SOLPRO algorithm with Prof J. Garcia de la Torre for the bead modelling of complex proteins in solution using ‘hydration independent’ shape functions (view paper and recent review)
  • Development of a combined SEC-sedimentation equilibrium method for polymer molecular weight distribution analysis (view paper 1paper 2paper 3)
  • Development with Dr A.J. Rowe of off-line automatic data capture of analytical ultracentrifuge patterns (view paper)
  • Development with Dr J.M. Creeth of a simple test for macromolecular heterogeneity in a single sedimentation equilibrium experiment (view paper) and the MSTAR method for sedimentation equilibrium analysis of polymer molecular weights (view paper)
  • Development and first demonstration of the principle of co-sedimentation in the analytical ultracentrifugation for ligand-macromolecule interactions (view paper 1paper 2,  paper 3 & a more recent review)
  • First demonstration of a protein which forms trimers – chloramphenicol transacetylase (view paper), and a further demonstration (view paper)
  • First demonstration with Prof Dennis Burton of a cusp shape conformation for the antibody IgE (view paper and book chapter)
  • First demonstration of how pegylation can screen antibodies (view paper)
  • First demonstration of how processing and point mutations can affect the conformation of monoclonal antibodies (view paper)
  • First application of dynamic light scattering with analytical ultracentrifugation to elucidate the after-process integrity of monoclonal antibodies (view paper)
  • First demonstration of a weak association in carbohydrate polymers (view paper)
  • First SEC-MALS elucidation of the molecular weight distribution of polysaccharides (view paper) and mucins (view paper)
  • First application of dynamic light scattering to bacterial spores (view paper) and demonstration of resistance to disinfectants (view paper)
  • Development with Dr Paley Johnson of the theory for the concentration dependence of hydrodynamic parameters (view paper), tested using TYMV (view paper) and a recent update with Prof Don Winzor and Dr David Scott for the concentration dependence of diffusion (view paper)
  • Development of the technique of flotation equilibrium in the analytical ultracentrifuge (view paper)
  • Development of the linear coil array model for the structure mucins (view paper 1paper 2 and review)
  • Discovery of high levels of Viking genes in the population of coastal north-west England (view paper and book 1 and book 2)
  • Development with Prof J. Garcia de la Torre of ‘Crystallohydrodynamics’: combination of x-ray crystallography with hydrodynamics to elucidate the domain orientation of antibodies (view paper 1paper 2)
  • Resolution of an important discrepancy with a theory relating viscosity determination with molecular shape (view paper and review)

Comprehensive list (~600) of publications from the NCMH (Google Scholar) and links (Research Gate)

 

MRes Biomolecular Technology Graduation class & staff (2022-23)

MRes Biomolecular Technology Graduation class & staff (2022-23)

 
 

Contact us

Contact-Us-1
National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics (Nottingham Laboratory)
University of Nottingham
Sutton Bonington Campus
Loughborough

LE12 5RD, U.K.

Email: Steve.Harding@nottingham.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)115-951-6149

 

Links

Sheffield Hallam Laboratory of the NCMH: Director Dr Richard Gillis

Huddersfield Laboratory of the NCMH: Director Prof Gordon Moris

Leeds Laboratory of the NCMH: Director Gleb Yakubov

The Saving Oseberg Group, University of Oslo (Dr Susan Braovac)

TEXREC Group - Oseberg Textiles (Dr Hartmut Kutzke)

Prof Rob Stockman Laboratory, School of Chemistry

Prof Bettina Wolf (Microstructure Engineering), University of Birmingham

Prof Thomas Heinze Group, FS Universität, Jena

Berit Smestad-Paulsen Group, University of Oslo

The Physical Chemistry of Macromolecules Group, Murcia – Director Prof J. Garcia de la Torre

Biophysical Reviews. Executive editor Prof SE Harding

Scientific Reports. Editors include Prof SE Harding & Dr. M Phillips-Jones

Methods in Molecular Biophysics (CUP) - best text we've seen that puts hydrodynamic techniques in the context of other biophysical tools