James Ellams

James Ellams is a PhD student in the Nikolaou lab researching protein-protein interactions/dynamics in healthy and degenerating neurons using zebrafish and iPSCs as model organisms. James' work aims to characterise how these proteins interact with eachother, if they regulate/dysregulate cellular processes and how/where these interactions occur in degenerating neurons. 

Before starting his PhD, James contributed to resarch in the Phillips group, LSI University of Exeter. He looked at the molecular kinetics of a base editing enzyme, Cas9 part of the CRSIPR/Cas genome editing system. Cas9 has massive implications to be used in future theraputics, however its off-target effects make it inefficient and limit its theraputic use. James used HDX-MS to characterise the dynamic movement of this enzyme, characterisng how it moves and interacts with cognate DNA. 

Additionally, James also helped to characterise the presence of buffer salt in HDX-MS experiments, as this not only disrupts protein structure but also HDX-MS kinetics.