Chris Wells-Holland

I have been a post-Doctoral Research Associate in the group since Oct 2023 focusing on intrinsically disordered proteins that exist in a wide range of different shapes, and complexes. These are challenging proteins to characterise with conventional high resolution biophysical methods. My current research is centred on studying several disease targets using ion mobility and native mass spectrometry e.g., transcriptional RNA processing ribonucleoproteins and protein degradation pathways (the behaviour of E3 ligases). These targets are pertinent to human disease, the early onset Parkinsonism and the rare limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. I am working on several innovative drug targeting molecules e.g., protein-degrading molecules such as molecular glues and PROTACs, that offer novel opportunities in deciphering and targeting these structurally complex and challenging disease targets.

My undergraduate degree was in Applied Chemistry and Biosciences (Robert Gordon University, 1998) and completed a PhD in Metabolic Engineering (University of Strathclyde, 2004). I am an interdisciplinary scientific researcher that has worked in drug discovery on several disease targets from HIV, COPD, cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, motor neuron, cystinosis diseases and treatments for over the past 20 years between the industry academic interphase.  I have been involved in several successful drug discovery projects e.g., Structural Genomics Consortium (University of Oxford) on one of the biggest open public data source drug discovery and structural biology projects, and development of several novel diagnostic technologies to market. My personal research area of interest in promoting engineering and synthetic biology principles for the standardization of experimental biology and critically evaluating bottlenecks and technology limitations that hinder this approach.

Throughout my career, I have collected subject specialism experience, particularly in drug delivery, structural biology, biophysics, fluorescence microscopy, assay development, high-throughput screening, enzymology and mechanistic characterization of enzymes / antibodies (SwitchSense, ITC and SPR), label-free technology, protein conjugation, mammalian cell culture, cellular pharmacology, bacteriology and hit-to-lead characterization/validation of the drug development triage pathway and an excellent grasp of the best practices for data responsibility and principles of assay development from proof of concept to late-stage clinical development.

I have experience in EDI, widening participation in higher education, open research and career development initiatives. 

Latest research in standardization principles of biology was published on 21st June 2023: Wells-Holland, C., Elfick, A. Transfection reflections: fit-for-purpose delivery of nucleic acids. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-023-00627-6.