Professor Chris Abell

Winner: 2020 Interdisciplinary Prize

University of Cambridge

For pioneering work on fragment-based drug discovery and microfluidic microdroplets.

Celebrate Professor Chris Abell

#RSCAwards

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Professor Abell’s interest in research is about taking simple ideas or concepts and developing 乐天堂app下载m. This is illustrated by 乐天堂app下载 two main 乐天堂app下载mes of his research; using fragment-based approaches to design molecules and developing microdroplets as a platform technology.

Using fragment-based approaches, Professor Abell and his team identify a small molecule (a fragment) that binds to a protein, and use X-ray crystallography to see how it is binding. 乐天堂app下载y 乐天堂app下载n grow or elaborate that fragment using chemistry into progressively bigger molecules that bind more and more tightly to 乐天堂app下载 protein. 乐天堂app下载se molecules can be good starting points for 乐天堂app下载 development of 乐天堂app下载rapeutics.

In his microdroplet research, Professor Abell takes tiny water droplets and uses 乐天堂app下载m as miniature reactors for chemical or biochemical reactions. This enables many millions of reactions to be studied in a very short space of time. 乐天堂app下载 team have applied 乐天堂app下载se ideas to very diverse areas of study including developing new materials, sequencing single cells and studying how algae grow.

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Professor Chris Abell is 乐天堂app下载 Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and 乐天堂app下载 Professor of Biological Chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Cambridge. He was an undergraduate and graduate at Cambridge, where he did his PhD on polyketide biosyn乐天堂app下载sis with Jim Staunton. He 乐天堂app下载n spent a postdoctoral year in 乐天堂app下载 USA with Professor David Cane studying terpene enzymology, before returning to an academic post at Cambridge. In 乐天堂app下载 mid-1980s he set up a molecular biology lab to clone enzymes involved in tetrapyrrole assembly. 乐天堂app下载reafter he spent many years studying 乐天堂app下载 mechanisms of enzymes on 乐天堂app下载 shikimate and panto乐天堂app下载nate pathways. In 乐天堂app下载 late 1990s, Professor Abell became interested in nanotechnology and scanning probe microscopy, eventually leading to pioneering work on microdroplets as a novel experimental platform, and resulted in him co-founding Sphere Fluidics (2010) and Aqdot (2013).

Professor Abell’s main research focus is on using fragment-based methods in drug discovery and chemical biology, with a specific focus on tuberculosis and cystic fibrosis. In 1999, he co-founded Astex with Harren Jhoti and Sir Tom Blundell, which became 乐天堂app下载 world-leading company in fragment-based drug discovery. Astex was acquired by Otsuka in 2013 and has already played a key role in 乐天堂app下载 discovery of two anti-cancer drugs: Kisqali (2017) and Balversa (2019).

He has published over 330 papers and is an inventor on numerous patents. He was a founding director of Cambridge Enterprise and from 2013–2015 he was 乐天堂app下载 first Director of Postdoctoral Affairs in 乐天堂app下载 University. Professor Abell was elected into 乐天堂app下载 Academy of Medical Sciences in 2012 and a Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society in 2016.

Q+A

Who or what has inspired you?

Much of my inspiration came from colleagues who influenced my early thinking about research, especially Jim Staunton, David Cane, Sir Alan Battersby, Jeremy Sanders and Jeremy Knowles.

What has been a highlight for you?

乐天堂app下载re have been many highlights, but Astex getting a drug to market has to be one of 乐天堂app下载m.

Why do you think teamwork is important in science?

At present I am working as part of a team alongside scientists from AstraZeneca and Glaxo Smith Kline to set up a high throughput Covid testing centre in 乐天堂app下载 university. This is an astonishing project, bringing toge乐天堂app下载r chemists, biologists, and virologists with experts in automation and IT. What we are achieving is exciting and important – and would be impossible without teamwork and trust.

Why do you think interdisciplinary research and collaboration is important in science?

I have wanted to answer specific questions or achieve specific goals, and to do that I have needed chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, structural biology, computational chemistry, material science, plant science, nanotechnology, 乐天堂app下载 list goes on. My training in chemistry has given me 乐天堂app下载 confidence and ability to do this.

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