Anthony Wedd

The major focus of the Wedd research group includes:

molecular aspects of the nutrient trace metals,
acquisition of metals by molecular pumps and by transport proteins,
identification of metabolic disease points.

Nutrient trace metals are needed for enzymes by living organisms but are toxic in excess. Acquisition of the metals is mediated by molecular pumps and by transport proteins which take the metal to its destinations in biological cells. Defects in copper metabolism cause Menkes and Wilson diseases in humans and copper and zinc imbalances are linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer and Creutzfeldt-Jakob (mad cow). Identification of metabolic disease points offers opportunities for design of pro-drugs. The cancer drug cis-platin enters human cells via a copper membrane pump. Definition of the mechanism of entry will assist design of new pro-drugs.

Specifically our group's interests are:

Molecular aspects of transition metal transport proteins with emphasis on Cu and Zn

Copper operons in strains of bacterium that confer Cu-resistance;
Copper transport proteins in humans and yeast that bind Cu(I) strongly and facilitate its rapid distribution in cells;
The molecular basis of the interaction of the anticancer drug cisplatin and Cu transport proteins;
The molecular mechanism of transport ATPases involving Zn metabolism in the simple plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Polyoxometalate clusters as green photo-catalysts

Synthesis of dye cation-polyoxometalate anion hybrid salts
Redox characterisation of water oxidation electro-catalysts

Major technologies:

Protein expression, isolation and structure-function study
Various biochemical and biophysical techniques including UV-Vis, fluorescence, ESI-MS, X-ray absorption, X-ray crystallography
Anaerobic handling of air-sensitive samples
Generation of proteoliposomes for vectorial chemistry
Inorganic chemical synthesis
Mass spectrometry to generate catalytic cycles in the gas phase
Quantitative electro and photochemistry