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Professor
Brian
Sutton
Contact Details
The Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics
King's College London
Guy's Campus
London SE1 1UL
Telephone
:
020 7848 6423
Email
:
brian.sutton@kcl.ac.uk
Profile
Brian Sutton is Professor of Molecular Biophysics and heads the Structural Biology Group within the Randall Division. His research interests have for many years concerned the structure and function of antibodies and their interactions with antigens and cell surface receptors. The role of the IgE antibody and its receptors in allergy and asthma is now the principal focus of his research, and the application of techniques such as X-ray crystallography has recently revealed details of the molecular mechanisms of the allergic response that offer opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Knowledge of the precise three-dimensional structures of these interacting proteins - such as IgE and its high-affinity receptor on mast cells - is now enabling the design of small molecules that can interfere with the allergic reaction. Other techniques that have contributed to these studies of molecular structure include nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and a new Centre for Biomolecular Spectroscopy has just opened at King’s, with the aim of facilitating drug discovery programmes such as this. Other research in the group is concerned with the recognition of allergen by IgE antibodies in order to understand why certain substances are allergenic, and why certain sub-sets of IgE antibodies are involved in allergic disease. Also under investigation are the molecular interactions occurring at the B cell surface that regulate the production of IgE by these cells. This is clearly another potential target for therapeutic intervention.
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Last modified:
04 December 2009 11:38