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Howell Lab

Brief Biography

1. BSc Biophysics, University of Leeds, UK (1983)
2. PhD, Crystallography, University of London, UK, (1986)
3. Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA (1986-1989)
4. Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, Commissariat à L'Energie Atomique, Saclay, France. (1989-90)
5. Chargé de recherche (1ère class), CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. (1990-1991)

Research Interests

• Protein Structure and Function
• Structure Based Drug Design
• X-ray Crystallography

Research Activities

Proteins play critical roles in all biological processes. With a detailed knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of a protein and how it interacts with its ligand and/or protein-partner(s), we can begin to understand its cellular function at the molecular level.

Protein Structure and Function & Structure based drug design

In the lab, we use a combination of molecular biological, microbiological, biochemical, as well as X-ray crystallographic and other biophysical techniques to determine the three-dimensional structure and function of our target proteins. Where appropriate our knowledge of the protein's substrate specificity or protein-protein interactions, and its mechanism of action are then used to help design novel specific therapeutic agents using structure-based drug design approaches.

The proteins that we are studying play critical roles in bacterial biofilm development and metabolism, and can be divided into two main areas of interest:

• Methionine recycling and biological methylation
• Arginine-citrulline/Urea cycle
• N-glycan biosynthesis

The lab is also active in the area of

• Crystallographic methods development

Full information on Dr. Howell's research activities and interests can be found on Dr. Howell's lab website

Publications

For more detailed information on publications and current research activities, please visit the Howell Lab.

Intellectual Property

Three dimensional structure and crystal of a class I alpha 1,2-mannosidase and methods for use thereof.