Recent news
2024 - I'm now a PROFESSOR!
2024 - It's been another good year or two for publications with great papers in Cell Reports, iScience, Scientific Reports, Blood Advances, Biomolecules, Biomaterials Science, Nanoscale, Sensors and Diagnostics, and JBC!
2024 - We had a brilliant time in Austria at the Affinity proteomics conference - well done to Anna, Jack, Brian and Lucy who made it fun. Especially well done to Lucy who won a Poster prize!
2023 - Congratulations to Amy for passing her viva in January
2022 - Chuffed to bits for Anna passing her viva with flying colours in November
2021 - really please to finally publish this paper in Nature Communications
​
​
​
Prof. Darren Tomlinson
Welcome to the Tomlinson lab at the University of Leeds. Our research group is interested in using a novel molecular recognition tool, called an Adhiron (previous known as an Affimer), to study protein function. An Adhiron is a scaffold protein that constrains two randomised loops for molecular recognition. They can be used as alternative reagents to antibodies for applications like diagnostics and used to probe the surface of target proteins to identify key domains involved in protein function. Our laboratory provides a service for screening against many types of molecules but our focus is using the Adhiron scaffold to understand protein function at the molecular level.
MY RESEARCH GROUP
Anna is a PDRA who recently passed her PhD. She is screening against a number of different bacterial targets to develop UTI diagnostics on an EPSRC grant, and uses numerous techniques including phage display, protein expression, molecular biology, and immuno-detection methods.
Thembi is an experienced PDRA funded by the BBSRC to develop Affimers to disrupt protein-protein interactions involved in cardiovascular disease. She has experience in a range of techniques including crystallography, cell based assays, phage display and protein biochemistry.
Paul is an experienced PDRA funded by the University of Leeds as the Head of School PDRA. His research is focussed on developing Affimers for super-resolution microscopy techniques. He has experience in a range of techniques including imaging, cell based assays, molecular biology and protein biochemistry.
Jack is a PhD student. His research is focused on developing Affimers that bind and inhibit protein interactions associated with Aurora A. Jack is using phage display, protein biochemistry and numerous biochemical and cellular assay in his studies.
Sitthinon started his PhD in 2020. His research is focused on developing in vivo tools for studying PAK1 function. Sitthinon uses a range of molecular, cellular and structural biology techniques.
Brian started his PhD in 2023. His research is focused on isolated Affimer reagents against against allosteric sites on Aurora A. He is funded by the BBSRC and is using phage display, protein biochemistry, structural biology and cell biology in his studies.
Lucy started her PhD in 2023. Her research is focused on characterising the Affimer reagents that block Ras nanoclustering and developing small molecule inhibitors. She is using a range of techniques including phage display, biochemical assays, and structural biology in her studies.
Christian and Lewis are members of the successful BioScreening Technology Group providing a screening service for developing Affimer reagents. Christian is the manager of the group, while Lewis is a highly skilled and experienced technician that is involved in numerous collaborator grants.
